Clackamas County Jail Inmate Search

Clackamas County Jail is located in the Oregon City at the northern tip of the State of Oregon. It was the first public building built in Oregon, standing two stories tall and made of wood. When it was built in 1845, it was a total of 18 square feet. However, the original building burnt down under mysterious circumstances just one year later.

After nine years, the jail was rebuilt in 1854 with new improvements. During the time when there was no jail, it is believed the town built an 8-by-4 foot steel box to house prisoners. The box had no windows and it could, uncomfortably, fit two people inside. Some reports state that the box was over 150 years old when it was put into use as the temporary jail in Clackamas County.

Further down the road, in 1884, the fifth courthouse was built in Oregon City which prompted the County Jail to move into the courthouse basement. There were still barred windows peeking out from the ground where it is reported prisoners would talk to the public through those bars. The underground jail would be the only jail in the county for over 50 years. In 1937, the sixth and final courthouse opened at the same location. The basement jail had become overcrowded and something needed to be done about prisoners escaping. One ambitious prisoner reportedly would cut through the weak steel grating with a knife. Consequently, the federal government refused to approve it for holding federal prisoners.

At long last, in 1959 the Clackamas County Jail is built at its current site in Oregon City. The jail wouldn't be remodeled until 1982 with an addition being construct to double it in size. Eight years late, another addition is constructed to accommodate the Oregon Corrections Center Intake Center (OCIC). The addition added administrative space as well as a new medical and booking facility. The OCIC opted to move to a new location in 2002. This move allowed the Clackamas County Jail to absorb the vacated space and convert some of it into a in-house laundry.

The jail is regularly kept up to high standards with a an evaluation being made each year. A Grand Jury is convened to listen to testimony and they are allowed to inspect the county's Jail. The Oregon Jail Standards Board awarded Clackamas County Jail a 97.4% compliance rating, one of the highest in the state. The Jail pays back the community by employing 127 full and part-time employees. The jail spends about $12,000 per month on medications for inmates. Most of this cost is for psychotropic medications for inmates who suffer from mental health issues. In the Jail kitchen, they serve roughly 36,000 meals per month, with an average cost around 91 cents per meal. As previously mentioned, the jail provides laundry service inside its own walls, which total over $50,000 of annual savings through contracting this service. The jail also provides inmates with Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, religious services, adult basic-education, and life-skill opportunities, as well as an inmate law library.

The Clackamas County Jail prides itself in ensuring the safety and security of everyone in the facility. They offer visitation to friends and family seven days a week and they remain committed to creating a calming and safe atmosphere.