By Laura Gunderson
The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Corrections is allowing an employee who works with inmates at Oregon’s only prison for women to remain on the job after a recent conviction for soliciting a prostitute.
Nathan Cantlin, 41, the inmate work program coordinator at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, was arrested Dec. 8 as part of a prostitution sting by the Tigard Police at a local hotel. The fake posting police used in the sting advertised women in their “early or mid-20s,” said Jim Wolf, spokesman for the Tigard Police.
Cantlin pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor on Jan. 8, receiving an 18-month probation and a $520 fine. His lawyer did not return a call seeking comment.
Cantlin, a union-represented employee, manages the program that assigns inmates to jobs, such as working in the prison kitchen or maintaining the grounds at the Wilsonville facility. Cantlin has limited contact with inmates and doesn’t supervise them directly, said Liz Craig, a spokeswoman for the Corrections Department.
Corrections officials sometimes will move an employee to a different facility or have them work from home when such issues arise, Craig said. But corrections officials haven’t moved Cantlin, altered his duties or launched a human resources investigation.
“We did not complete an investigation because there was nothing to investigate,” Craig said. “He was arrested and convicted of a misdemeanor.”
No human resources rule requires an investigation, she said.
That’s not necessarily the case for other employees at state prisons, however. Leaders with two unions representing correctional officers said they expect their members would be investigated internally. Such a conviction also would likely trigger a review by the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which issues their certifications.
A “patronizing a prostitute” conviction isn’t on the list of offenses that automatically disqualify an officer for certification, but it’s on a list that the training department may consider to revoke a license.
“Employees should be treated equally by the Department of Corrections,” said Tim Woolery of AFSCME Corrections, which has members at all of the state’s prisons. He also specifically represents employees at Coffee Creek.
“This is not a male facility, it’s a female facility,” he said. “I think it bears further investigation.”
Jeff Hernandez, executive vice president of security for the Association of Oregon Corrections Employees, agreed. His union covers employees at five facilities, not including Coffee Creek.
“We hold our officers to the highest ethical and moral standards and expect the same out of every other employee of the department,” Hernandez said. “I would expect a member of management to be found guilty of committing a crime would be investigated fully and appropriately disciplined.”
Cantlin recently returned to his position at Coffee Creek after taking a brief leave to serve as Portland Community College’s interim corrections education director, a position overseeing all education programs at both Coffee Creek and the Columbia River Correctional Institution in Northeast Portland.
Typically, women who convicted of prostitution-related charges serve their sentences in county jails. While none of the approximately 1,270 women at Coffee Creek re currently serving time for a prostitution offense, six there have past convictions for prostitution.
Julia Yoshimoto, an attorney and director of the Women in Prison Project at the Oregon Justice Resource Center, questioned whether it’s appropriate for Cantlin to have any contact with women inmates.
“The security and wellbeing of the women at Coffee Creek must be a top priority,” she said. “We believe DOC has a responsibility to foster a culture that is respectful of and responsive to women whose past life experiences and present status as inmates may render them uniquely vulnerable.”
Copyright 2016 The Oregonian