OAR 291-205-0020
Definitions

(1) Communications: All communications by a crime victim, survivor or inmate, or by a program facilitator, Victim Services Advisory Committee member, Facilitated Dialogue Program staff, or Responsibility Letter Bank Program staff that are made in the course of or in connection with a facilitate dialogue or a responsibility letter conducted pursuant to these rules. The communications include but are not limited to:
(a) All memoranda, assessment and evaluation forms, documents and other materials, including letters that are prepared for or submitted in connection with a facilitated dialogue or responsibility letter; and,
(b) All communications, whether oral, written or recorded, made during the intake of a case, during preparations for a facilitated dialogue or a responsibility letter, during any joint in-person meetings or telephone calls, and during any post-dialogue meetings or conversations
(2) Crime Victim or Survivor:
(a) Any person who was subjected to direct harm or injury from a crime for which an inmate has been convicted, past or present, and is identified as a victim or survivor in records or information available to the Department of Corrections.
(b) Any spouse, significant other, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, guardian, sibling, child or other immediate family member, or any member of the household, or any other person who was impacted by the consequences of an inmate’s crime even though they were not directly or immediately harmed or injured by the inmate’s criminal conduct.
(c) Any person subjected to harm or injury from a crime for which an inmate has not been prosecuted or convicted, whereby the crime victim or survivor reported the crime to law enforcement or there is other information available to the Department of Corrections to identify the person as a crime victim of the inmate.
(3) Department of Corrections Facility: Any institution, facility or staff office, including the grounds, operated by the Department of Corrections.
(4) Facilitated Dialogue: A process in which facilitators assist crime victims or survivors and the inmates that victimized then to communicate on topics of the victim’s or survivor’s choosing. The facilitated dialogue includes all contacts between program staff, Victim Services Advisory Committee members, facilitators, victim or survivor, inmate, and support person, including, but not limited to, the initial case intake, preparations for a facilitated dialogue meeting[s], the meetings, and any post-dialogue meetings, or follow-up contacts with any of the above mentioned participants until the dialogue is terminated.
(5) Facilitated Dialogue Meeting: One or more meetings between a crime victim or survivor and an inmate during which the crime victim or survivor and the inmate have the opportunity to dialogue about the crime and its impact with the support of trained facilitators. Meeting includes letter exchanges between the crime victim or survivor and inmate that may occur in lieu of a face-to-face meeting.
(6) Facilitated Dialogue Program (FDP): A Department of Corrections program that seeks to promote justice and healing for victims or survivors of serious and violent crimes and provide them with a safe and structured process to discuss the crime and its impact with the inmates that victimized them. The program also seeks to aid inmates in the process of their rehabilitation and as a way of increasing public safety. For the purposes of OAR 291-205-0010 (Authority, Purpose and Policy) to 291-205-0120 (Confidentiality of Facilitated Dialog Communications, Exceptions) and unless specified otherwise, references to decisions, determinations or approvals of the Facilitated Dialogue Program shall mean a decision by the functional unit manager or designee.
(7) Functional Unit Manager: Any person within the Department of Corrections who reports to the Director, Deputy Director, an Assistant Director or an administrator and has responsibility for the delivery of services or coordination of programs.
(8) Inmate: Any person under the supervision of Department of Corrections who is not on parole, post-prison supervision, or probation status.
(9) Program Facilitators: A Department of Corrections volunteer, contractor, or staff member who has had specific training in the Facilitated Dialogue Program procedure and practices, and who has been trained and approved by the functional unit manager to work in the Facilitated Dialogue Program.
(10) Program Staff: A Department of Corrections employee who has had specific training in the Facilitated Dialogue Program or the Responsibility Letter Bank Program procedure and practices, and who has been trained and approved by the functional unit manager to work in the Facilitated Dialogue Program or the Responsibility Letter Bank Program.
(11) Responsibility Letter (RL): Letter written by an inmate to their crime victim or survivor acknowledging responsibility for the crime and expressing remorse. Responsibility letters do not ask for anything in return from the crime victim or survivor.
(12) Responsibility Letter Bank (RLB): Repository of accepted inmate responsibility letters maintained by Victim Services.
(13) Responsibility Letter Bank Program: A Department of Corrections program that promotes healing for crime victims and survivors and rehabilitation and acceptance of responsibility on the part of inmates. The program offers a structured process within which an inmate may voluntarily compose a letter to their victims or survivors expressing the inmate’s acceptance of responsibility for the crime and impact that it has had on the victim or survivor.
(14) Victim Letter Registry: Database of crime victims or survivors contact information who have registered to be notified when an inmate responsibility letter is written to them that is maintained by Victim Services.
(15) Support Person: A person or persons chosen by the crime victim or survivor or inmate, and approved by Facilitated Dialogue Program, to assist them during the facilitated dialogue process.
(16) Victim Services Advisory Committee: A group of community-based professionals and community members from the fields of mediation, restorative justice, psychology, victim services, or other related fields and disciplines, selected by the functional unit manager or designee, who volunteer or otherwise provide their time and expertise to advise and assist the functional unit manager or designee in the conduct of the Victim Services Programs.
(17) Victim Services Program Coordinator (VSPC): A department staff member or members designated by the functional unit manager who coordinates the Victim Services Programs including but not limited to Facilitated Dialogue Program, Responsibility Letter Bank Program, Victim Speakers Network, Case Companion, and VINE.

Source: Rule 291-205-0020 — Definitions, https://secure.­sos.­state.­or.­us/oard/view.­action?ruleNumber=291-205-0020.

Last Updated

Jun. 8, 2021

Rule 291-205-0020’s source at or​.us