Regional Interests

Talking Business | Aging Inmates | Francke Brothers

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Celina Tebor, Julie Sabatier, Samantha Matsumoto

Published July 3, 2019 at 7:44 AM PDT

<p>The Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem is the oldest prison in Oregon and the only maximum security institution currently operated by the Oregon Department of Corrections.</p> — The Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem is the oldest prison in Oregon and the only maximum security institution currently operated by the Oregon Department of Corrections.

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We discuss the latest regional business news with Suzanne Stevens, editor of the Portland Business Journal.

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Oregon prisons had one of the highest percentages in the nation of inmates older than 55 in 2016. Now, state officials are preparing to care for inmates as they age. We talk with UC San Francisco professor of medicine Brie Williams about the unique needs of older inmates, and what care prisons need to provide.

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Thirty years ago, Oregon Department of Corrections director Michael Francke was murdered. Frank Gable — the man convicted of Francke's murder — was just released from prison. Michael Francke's surviving brothers have been some of the strongest advocates for Gable's release, saying he was wrongly convicted. We'll talk with Kevin and Patrick Francke about what this dramatic turn of events means to them.