Oregon 

Since September 2023, Hannah Kuhn and her co-facilitator, Maddy Clark, have been guiding 8-week poetry workshops at Coffee Creek’s medium security building. Their first class was attended by only four participants, but has quickly grown to 15 participants, with a waitlist of 20, and requests to offer a class in the minimum security building as well.

This chapter continues our mission of using creative writing to empower incarcerated women, offering a unique space for healing, reflection, and transformation. With dedicated volunteers and a growing network of participants, the Oregon chapter is already making a significant impact in the community.

Since September 2023, Hannah Kuhn and her co-facilitator, Maddy Clark, have been guiding 8-week poetry workshops at Coffee Creek’s medium security building. Their first class was attended by only four participants, but has quickly grown to 15 participants, with a waitlist of 20, and requests to offer a class in the minimum security building as well.

This chapter continues our mission of using creative writing to empower incarcerated women, offering a unique space for healing, reflection, and transformation. With dedicated volunteers and a growing network of participants, the Oregon chapter is already making a significant impact in the community.

Curious how Poetic Justice Oregon got started? Read about Hannah Kuhn’s journey from Distance Learning volunteer to leading workshops at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility.

Read more →

Infographic showing that in the past 40 years, the number of women in Oregon jails increased by 601%, and the number of women in Oregon prisons increased by 1223%, with bold yellow and white text on a black background.

Oregon incarcerates women at a slightly higher rate (44 incarcerated women for every 100,000 female residents) than the national average (41 incarcerated women for every 100,000 female residents.

Facility

Opened in 2001, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville is Oregon’s only prison for women. The 508,000-square-foot facility, with capacity to house 1253 people located on 108 acres in Wilsonville currently houses approximately 866 female inmates. Coffee Creek was built in response to increased demand for prison space created by the passage of Ballot Measure 11 in 1994 that imposed mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes. The women at Coffee Creek are housed in two buildings, a minimum facility and a medium facility.

Sign at the entrance of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility with a red hand symbol on a guard signal light post.
Map highlighting the location of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon, with nearby Portland, Oregon.
  • Two smiling women taking a selfie in front of a Black and gold Oregon Department of Corrections sign that reads 'Coffee Creek Correctional Facility'.
  • A group of people posing together in a room with woodland-themed mural walls, some wearing matching navy blue shirts, and a large projection screen on the right.
  • Two women stand back-to-back against a painted forest background, both wearing dark-colored sweatshirts and smiling.
  • Two women sitting at a table, eating strawberries and chocolate, with a plate of dessert and raspberries in front of them, in a room with chairs and bookshelves.
  • A group of women and girls holding hands and forming a circle in a room with forest-themed murals, chairs arranged around, a projector screen on the wall, and sunlight coming through ceiling windows.
  • Two women sit at a table in a library, smiling while holding plates of desserts topped with raspberries. They are sharing a moment, with the woman on the left holding a fork with a piece of cake and raspberries, and the woman on the right holding a fork with raspberries. The background shows bookshelves, decorations on the wall, and a double door.

Interested in joining the Oregon team? Learn more.