Carole Pope was a dynamic activist and the founder and director of Our New Beginnings (ONB), a residential Portland transitional and alternative sentencing program for formerly incarcerated women. Active from 1980-1992, ONB demonstrated in its success that holistic, community-centered support and rehabilitation can effectively resist cycles of recidivism and help to preserve and restore families and communities impacted by incarceration. Pope's personal experiences of incarceration informed her understanding of the monumental social and institutional challenges faced by women transitioning out of the criminal justice system. Pope's innovative and tireless advocacy convinced many local legal and law enforcement professionals to support this program and more critically consider the larger implications of transitional resources in these communities.
After she passed away in 2013, Pope's papers were donated to the Portland State University Library Special Collections by Sharon Franklin, a close friend and Pope's co-author of “A Resource Guide for Parents Incarcerated in Oregon” (2003). Committed to honoring and sharing Pope's powerful work, Franklin played an integral role in the development of the Carole Pope Oral History Project, identifying and contacting interview subjects and advocating for funding.
By gathering narratives of individuals involved with and impacted by ONB, the Carole Pope Oral History Collection seeks to use the critical power of the first-person perspective to build upon Pope's papers to create a multimedia resource for scholars, activists, and providers creating and advocating for meaningful alternatives to incarceration. An ongoing project, these oral history interviews began in 2014. Each interview is accompanied by a full transcript and video and audio files are available for download for personal research use.
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Interview with Laurie Ellett
Laurie Ellett and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with Laurie Ellett by Heather Petrocelli on January 29, 2015. Ellett is the Executive Director of Helping Professionals Wellness Center in Battle Ground, Washington. Interview at Laurie Ellett's office in Battle Ground, WA.
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Interview with Sharon Franklin
Sharon Franklin and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with Sharon Franklin by Heather Petrocelli on December 3, 2014. Franklin is an educator, librarian, and writer working in Eugene, Oregon. Interview at Sharon Franklin's residence in Eugene, OR.
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Interview with Rick Haselton
Rick Haselton and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with the Honorable Rick Haselton by Heather Petrocelli on April 20, 2015. Haselton has been a Judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals since 1994 and has served as Chief Judge since 2012. Interview at the Justice Building in Salem, OR.
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Interview with Pamela Hayes
Pamela Hayes and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with the Pamela Hayes by Heather Petrocelli on November 14, 2016. At the time of this interview, Hayes was a student in the Criminal Justice department at Portland State University. Interview at Portland State University Library in Portland, OR.
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Interview with Linda Hudson
Linda Hudson and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with Linda Hudson by Heather Petrocelli on May 19, 2015. She is the Director of African American Services and the Program Director of the Imani Center with Central City Concern in Portland, Oregon. Interview at Hooper Detox Center in Portland, OR.
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Interview with Karen Jacobs-Lona
Karen Jacobs-Lona and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with Karen Jacobs-Lona by Heather Petrocelli on May 5, 2015. Jacobs-Lona is a Corrections Counselor at Multnomah County's Day Reporting Center in Oregon. Interview at Karen Jacobs-Lona's home in Portland, OR.
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Interview with Janice Wilson
Janice Wilson and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with the Honorable Janice Wilson by Heather Petrocelli on July 16, 2015. Wilson was appointed to Oregon District Court in 1991 by Governor Barbara Roberts and appointed from that position to Multnomah County Circuit Court in 1994. Following numerous re-elections, she retired in 2013. Interview at Portland State University Library in Portland, OR.
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Interview with Grey Wolfe
Grey Wolfe and Heather Oriana Petrocelli
Interview with Grey Wolfe by Heather Petrocelli on June 5, 2015. Grey Wolfe worked as a counselor at Our New Beginnings from 1986 to 1992. Interview at Grey Wolfe's residence in Portland, OR.