# Oregon

Oregon’s Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) certifies state and local corrections officers and parole and probation officers, the same body that certifies police. The Department of Corrections (DOC) trains its own recruits under DPSST standards and inspects local jails. Since 2023 the State has made DOC’s training authority permanent, required a public dashboard on disciplinary segregation, limited restraints during labor and postpartum recovery, extended statewide discipline standards to corrections officers, and changed the peer support privilege from January 1, 2026.

Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/oregon

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), under rules of the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training. It certifies police, state and local corrections officers, and parole and probation officers; the agency and its revocation powers are covered on the [Oregon Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/oregon). Corrections officers must be certified within 1 year of hire and parole and probation officers within 18 months, with possible 1-year extensions for good cause ([ORS 181A.520, 181A.530](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors181A.html)). DOC provides basic certification training for its own corrections officers under Board standards, audited by DPSST (ORS 181A.522).
- **Statute:** ORS 181A.355 to 181A.689 (public safety standards, certification, discipline), including 181A.522 (DOC training); ORS 169.005 to 169.990 (local correctional facilities); ORS chapters 421 and 423 (Department of Corrections, community corrections); ORS 161.237 (neck and throat restraint). Rules: OAR 259-008 (DPSST) and OAR chapter 291 (DOC).
- **Minimum standards:** Age 21; U.S. citizenship (or Compact of Free Association status) within 1 year of hire for corrections officers and 18 months for parole and probation officers; a high school diploma or GED; and background, physical, and moral fitness standards set by Board rule ([OAR 259-008-0010](https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=822); ORS 181A.410(1)(a), 181A.520, 181A.530). Since July 1, 2023, pre-employment psychological screening extends to corrections and parole and probation officers ([Officer Ledger entry](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/oregon#dpsst-6-2023)).
- **Basic training:** Corrections officers must start basic training within 90 days of hire (up to 120 days with a written reason) and finish the basic course and field training manual within 12 months; parole and probation officers within 18 months (ORS 181A.520(4), (5); OAR 259-008-0025). The Basic Corrections Local course and the DOC Basic Corrections Course are each “approximately 240 hours.” The Basic Parole and Probation Course is “approximately 200 hours” and must include trauma-informed care, culturally specific services, and de-escalation; the Armed Parole and Probation Course is about 74 hours (OAR 259-008-0085; ORS 181A.530(3)).
- **In-service training:** Corrections and parole and probation officers, like other law enforcement officers, must keep CPR and first aid current and complete 84 hours of agency-approved training per 3-year cycle. The 84 hours include 8 hours a year of firearms or use-of-force training and 1 hour a year of ethics, and, each cycle, 3 hours of mental health or crisis intervention, 2 hours of airway and circulatory anatomy, 3 hours of equity, and 24 hours of leadership for supervisors (OAR 259-008-0065). Part-time parole and probation officers need at least 20 hours of continuing education a year (ORS 181A.530(5)).
- **Decertification:** DPSST may deny, suspend, or revoke a public safety officer’s certification for falsification, a criminal conviction, or failure to meet minimum standards or training (ORS 181A.640(1)). The mandatory grounds in ORS 181A.640(2) are written for police officers; for other disciplines, Board rule sets mandatory and discretionary grounds (OAR 259-008-0300). Contested cases follow ORS 181A.630 and ORS chapter 183. The statewide conduct and discipline standards have applied to corrections and parole and probation officers since January 1, 2024, and the arbitration limits since January 1, 2025 (see the entries below). No statute was found requiring a public list of corrections or parole and probation officer discipline.
- **Jail standards:** Department of Corrections. DOC coordinates state services to local jails and must inspect local correctional facilities, lockups, and temporary holds for compliance with ORS 169.076 to 169.078. It may contract the inspections, and may skip one if the county had an equivalent inspection within 24 months and files the report ([ORS 169.070](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors169.html)). ORS 169.076 sets the standards, including hourly personal inspection, written policies, emergency plans, and a ban on physical punishment.
- **Probation and parole officers:** State and county parole and probation officers must be DPSST-certified within 18 months of hire. Initial and maintenance training must include trauma-informed care, culturally specific services, and de-escalation (ORS 181A.530). Armed officers must complete the Armed Parole and Probation Course within 18 months of armed designation (OAR 259-008-0025(5)).
- **Restrictive housing:** No statutory time limit on segregation was found. Since February 1, 2024, DOC must publish a public dashboard on disciplinary segregation ([ORS 421.200](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors421.html); see the entry below). Segregation itself is governed by DOC rules (OAR chapter 291).
- **Corrections use of force:** A peace officer or corrections officer may not knowingly use force that impedes breathing or blood circulation by pressure on the throat or neck, except where physical force is justified in defense of a person under ORS 161.209 and 161.215 ([ORS 161.237](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors161.html)). Jail and prison officials may use force they reasonably believe necessary to maintain order and discipline, subject to ORS 161.237 and 421.107 (ORS 161.205(2)); ORS 421.107 bars using dogs for cell extractions. Adults in DOC custody may not be mechanically restrained during labor, childbirth, or postpartum hospital recovery except as described in the 2024 entry below (ORS 421.175). Local jails may not administer physical punishment (ORS 169.076(4)).

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Jan 1, 2026 — **Peer support privilege recast: wider across employers, narrower in what it covers** — Oregon Laws 2025, c. 309 (HB 3929), amending ORS 181A.835 · Applies to communications made on or after January 1, 2026 — The act recasts the peer support privilege as “peer support services” for public safety agencies, defined to include DOC and employers of parole and probation officers. Communications are confidential and, as before, inadmissible in judicial, administrative, arbitration, and other adjudicatory proceedings, subject to listed exceptions. The prior law already made peer support session communications inadmissible. What changes: the privilege now covers only communications made because of a traumatic event or repeated exposure to one, with a peer supporter designated beforehand who was not directly involved in the event, and the peer supporter and the recipient may now work for different employers. Corrections employees and parole and probation officers were already covered by the earlier definition of public safety personnel. — **For corrections staff:** Confidentiality of peer support conversations now depends on meeting the 2026 conditions, including a pre-designated peer supporter who was not involved in the event. — [Oregon Laws 2025, c. 309](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2025orlaw0309.pdf)[Oregon Laws 2023, c. 430 (prior text)](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2023orlaw0430.pdf)[ORS 181A.835](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors181A.html)
- May 22, 2025 — **Restraint by a parole and probation officer counts as custody for escape; DMV photo access** — Oregon Laws 2025, c. 118 (HB 2465), amending ORS 162.135 and 807.115 · Effective on passage, May 22, 2025 (emergency clause); the ORS 807.115 change operative January 1, 2026 (sec. 3) — For escape and related offenses, “custody” now means “the imposition of actual or constructive restraint by a peace officer or a parole and probation officer as defined in ORS 181A.355, pursuant to an arrest or court order.” Before, only peace officers were named. From January 1, 2026, parole and probation officers may also access DMV digital driver license photographs. — **For corrections staff:** A person who flees a parole and probation officer’s lawful custody can be charged with escape. — [Oregon Laws 2025, c. 118](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2025orlaw0118.pdf)
- Jan 1, 2025 — **Arbitration limits on reversing discipline reach corrections and parole and probation officers** — Oregon Laws 2024, c. 63 (SB 1574), secs. 5 to 7, amending ORS 243.706, 243.808, and 243.809 · Approved March 27, 2024; secs. 5 to 7 operative January 1, 2025 — The arbitration limits now define “law enforcement officer” by ORS 243.812, which includes corrections officers and parole and probation officers. An arbitrator must uphold a misconduct finding consistent with the agency’s and may not reduce discipline that matches the statewide standards. The [Officer Ledger entry](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/oregon#sb1574-2024) covers the act. — **For corrections staff:** An arbitrator cannot reduce discipline that matches the statewide standards. — [Oregon Laws 2024, c. 63](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2024orLaw0063.pdf)
- Jun 1, 2024 — **Limits on restraining people in labor and postpartum recovery; Coffee Creek doula program** — Oregon Laws 2023, c. 311 (HB 2535), enacting ORS 421.173, 421.175, and 421.178 · Act effective September 24, 2023; secs. 1 to 3 operative June 1, 2024 (sec. 6(1)) — “An adult in custody may not be restrained mechanically during labor, childbirth or postpartum recovery in a hospital unless” a supervising officer finds restraints reasonably necessary for safety and security and the attending physician finds they pose no medical risk. Any restraint may not interfere with holding or nursing the infant or with postpartum care and must be the least restrictive possible. Return transport after birth must use medically appropriate, least restrictive procedures. DOC must also run a doula program at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. — **For corrections staff:** On hospital and transport posts, restraining a person in labor or postpartum recovery needs both a supervising officer’s safety finding and the physician’s finding of no medical risk. — [Oregon Laws 2023, c. 311](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2023orlaw0311.pdf)[ORS 421.175](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors421.html)
- Apr 4, 2024 — **Correctional sergeants who direct work stay in bargaining units** — Oregon Laws 2024, c. 84 (HB 4115), amending ORS 243.650 and 243.682 · Effective April 4, 2024 (emergency clause) — In the public employee bargaining law, a strike-prohibited guard at a correctional institution (or police officer) at or below the rank of sergeant who assigns, transfers, or directs others’ work but cannot hire, discharge, or impose economic discipline is not a “supervisory employee,” so may be in a bargaining unit. Guards at lieutenant rank or higher are supervisory, except lieutenants who were in a bargaining unit on or before the act’s effective date. — **For corrections staff:** Sergeants without power to hire, fire, or impose economic discipline keep union representation; lieutenants and above generally do not. — [Oregon Laws 2024, c. 84](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2024orlaw0084.pdf)
- Feb 1, 2024 — **DOC must publish a disciplinary segregation dashboard** — Oregon Laws 2023, c. 245 (HB 2345), enacting ORS 421.200 · Act effective January 1, 2024; sec. 1 operative February 1, 2024 (sec. 2) — DOC must keep a public dashboard on its website showing, for people placed in disciplinary segregation, race, age, and misconduct status; length of stay; time spent in general population before any return; the misconduct level behind a return; and “the amount of time, in the aggregate and for each occasion,” that the person is allowed outside a cell. — **For corrections staff:** Segregation placements and out-of-cell time you record feed a public dashboard. — [Oregon Laws 2023, c. 245](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2023orlaw0245.pdf)[ORS 421.200](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors421.html)
- Jan 1, 2024 — **DOC keeps permanent authority to train its own corrections officers** — Oregon Laws 2023, c. 130 (SB 211) · Approved May 30, 2023; effective January 1, 2024 — Under a 2009 law, now ORS 181A.522, DOC rather than the DPSST academy provides basic certification training for DOC corrections officers. That law was to stop applying to officers hired on or after January 2, 2026. The act deletes the end date and repeals the scheduled repeal. DOC training continues to count toward DPSST corrections certification, subject to Board standards and DPSST audits. — **For corrections staff:** DOC recruits keep training at the DOC academy after 2025; certification still comes from DPSST. — [Oregon Laws 2023, c. 130](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2023orlaw0130.pdf)[ORS 181A.522 (2009 c. 885 sec. 44)](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors181A.html)
- Jan 1, 2024 — **Parole Board parole and probation officers become PERS “police officers”** — Oregon Laws 2023, c. 219 (SB 951), amending ORS 238.005 · Effective January 1, 2024 — The act adds “certified parole and probation officers employed by the State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision” to the PERS definition of police officer, giving them police and fire retirement treatment. It applies to officers employed on or after the effective date, with service credit rules for current officers. — **For corrections staff:** Certified parole and probation officers at the Parole Board have police officer retirement status from 2024. — [Oregon Laws 2023, c. 219](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2023orlaw0219.pdf)
- Jan 1, 2024 — **Statewide conduct and discipline standards extended to corrections and parole and probation officers** — Oregon Laws 2023, c. 191 (SB 808), amending ORS 243.812 · Approved June 7, 2023; effective January 1, 2024 — For the Commission on Statewide Law Enforcement Standards of Conduct and Discipline, “law enforcement officer” now includes corrections officers and parole and probation officers as defined in ORS 181A.355. The [Officer Ledger entry](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/oregon#sb808-2023) covers the act. — **For corrections staff:** The statewide conduct and discipline standards apply to you. — [Oregon Laws 2023, c. 191](https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/lawsstatutes/2023orLaw0191.pdf)
- Jul 1, 2023 — **Psychological screening extended to corrections and parole and probation applicants** — DPSST 6-2023, amending OAR 259-008-0010, -0011, -0015, and -0080 · Filed April 27, 2023; effective July 1, 2023 — Pre-employment psychological screening extends from police and reserve officers to corrections officers and parole and probation officers, and the background investigation becomes a uniform requirement. The [Officer Ledger entry](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/oregon#dpsst-6-2023) covers the rule. — **For corrections staff:** Corrections and parole and probation applicants must pass a pre-employment psychological evaluation. — [DPSST 6-2023 filing](https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewReceiptTRIM.action?ptId=9427151)

## Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass

No enacted corrections change was found awaiting its effective or operative date. No 2025 or 2026 bill limiting solitary confinement or restrictive housing was confirmed. The legislature’s bill search was not used; the session-law sweep covers enacted chapters only, so failed bills are not listed here.

DPSST rule changes are not entered because the prior rule text was not retrieved: OAR 259-008-0085 now bases the Basic Corrections Local course on a curriculum approved by the Board on July 25, 2024 (DPSST 7-2024) and the Basic Parole and Probation Course on a breakdown approved on October 23, 2025 (DPSST 7-2025, effective November 1, 2025). The rules site shows only current text.

## Checked and unchanged

- ORS 161.205(2) (force by jail and prison officials): Oregon Laws 2023, c. 27 (SB 577) amended ORS 161.205 but made no change to subsection (2).
- Not counted: Oregon Laws 2024, c. 70 (HB 4002) and 2025, c. 557 (HB 3069) created and revised Criminal Justice Commission grants for jail substance use treatment (ORS 169.850 to 169.856); these are grant programs, not staff duties.
- Not verified: ORS 421.175 was also amended by Oregon Laws 2025, c. 2; that change was not reviewed.