On April 6, 2019, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) will host their first Out of the Darkness Walk with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). This event is sponsored by CCCF’s Walk in the Light suicide education team. CCCF is the first female facility in the nation to host an Out of the Darkness Walk. It is the third Oregon correctional facility to sponsor and support AFSP efforts to reduce suicide rates in the U.S. and worldwide. On a global scale, suicide claims 800,000 lives annually. This translates to one person dying every 40 seconds, worldwide. To bring this into a local perspective, correctional staff are often exposed to vicarious or secondary trauma by working with adults in custody who are often highly traumatized themselves. Studies show that the suicide rate among correctional officers is twice as high as other law enforcement officials. The impact of suicide and suicide attempts cannot be measured by the number of deaths alone. It has devastating consequences for the survivors who are left to deal with the aftermath of such an action. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was established in 1987. As a voluntary health organization, it gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education, and advocacy to act against this leading cause of death and bring awareness to mental health. CCCF is currently raising funds for AFSP. Donations can be made on line at: https://afsp.donordrive.com/participant/CoffeeCreekStaff. CCCF is a multi-custody prison located in Wilsonville accommodating 1,260 adults in custody (AIC). The prison has cell and dormitory housing, work programs, skills training, treatment programs, health services, religious services, physical plant, a central records unit, and administrative areas. CCCF participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises, including a contact center, auto computer-aided design (CAD), and document scanning. In addition, CCCF houses the state’s intake center, which provides intake and evaluation of all individuals committed to state custody by the courts. The intake center houses approximately 400 AICs. CCCF’s minimum facility opened in 2001, and the medium facility opened in 2002.
