The Oregon State Penitentiary on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
State corrections officials are still investigating the Oregon State Penitentiary’s superintendent three months after he was placed on administrative leave.
Brandon Kelly served as superintendent at the Salem prison from 2016 until he was placed on administrative leave in August pending an investigation by the Oregon Department of Corrections’ human resources department.
The corrections department hasn’t provided details on what the investigation was regarding. Jen Black, spokesperson for the department, said in August that human resources investigations concern conduct between department employees, not between employees and people in prison.
Black said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing, but she expects it will be completed “soon.”
“All of our employee services employees were so busy with the vaccine mandate requirements. I think a lot of other things got behind schedule,” she said.
The Oregon State Penitentiary is the oldest and only maximum-security prison that the corrections department operates. The prison holds about 1,500 people.
The agency said in August that Kelly would continue receiving his $14,238 monthly salary while on leave.
He started working at the corrections department in 1997 as a correctional officer at the state prison.
Corey Fhuere has been the prison’s acting superintendent since Kelly has been on leave.
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
