“A challenge to do better for our youth”: OYA’s new IMPACT system strengthens accountability
In November and December, a few divisions began ...
Police Locate, Arrest Three Escaped OYA Youth
UPDATE: Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 7:37 am All three of the youth who escaped from the Tillamook Youth Correctional Facility shortly before 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, have been apprehended. Noah Martin, 18, and Jed “June” Alexander, 16, were apprehended early Saturday morning, shortly after midnight. Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office deputies apprehended ...
A Roadmap for Reentry: Understanding Gang Intervention at OYA
For some youth committed to the Oregon Youth Authority, gang affiliation is a big piece of how they see themselves. The strong pull of that identity requires OYA to manage immediate safety and operational concerns, while also planting seeds that wil l grow to long-term stability for each youth and the community to which they’ll ...
“Holy Ground”: How Faith Grounds Youth at MacLaren
At MacLaren, faith can be simultaneously vibrant and deeply personal. In some ways, that makes sense: a difference in identity can become another source of division or conflict. Yet in speaking with youth from different faith backgrounds, it’s clear that spirituality grounds their experiences of the justice system. As youth are removed from their communities, ...
Celebrating Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month – a time to celebrate historical and current contributions from women. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the progress women have made while also recognizing the work that remains. At the Oregon Youth Authority, Women’s History Month is a time to focus intentionally on the unique strengths, experiences, and needs of the young women we ...
Honoring Effort, Persistence, and Growth at MacLaren’s Lord High School
At MacLaren’s Lord High School, educators have begun a new practice: recognizing students of the month from among its roughly 90 high school students. Recognition is one of the school’s core values, developed cooperatively by school and MacLaren staff as part of a broader effort to build a shared organizational culture supported by a partnership with Breakfree Education. Students may be recognized for academic accomplishment, but they ...