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2024 Community Safety Conference

Inside the Oregon State Penitentiary

Toastmasters International, the world’s largest communication and leadership organization, plans
to hold their inaugural District 7 Community Safety Conference at the Oregon State Penitentiary
(OSP). This event will be comprised of up to 100 individuals representing a cross-section of Oregon’s
key community leaders.
“We continuously see how profoundly Toastmasters helps individuals change their lives for the bet-
ter,” states Jim Robison, District 7 Director of Toastmasters International. “We see Toastmaster’s clubs
in prison as a major component in reducing recidivism and helping individuals build better futures
forthemselves.”
“Our club leadership and many of our members have acknowledged the harms we’ve caused by our
crimes and held ourselves accountable,” notes Theron Hall, President of Capital Toastmasters. “We
see this Community Safety Conference as an opportunity to communicate to society that we under-
stand we contributed to the problem and it makes sense for us to be a part of the solution. This way,
we all have a stake in healing.”
Capital Toastmasters, a chartered Toastmaster’s Club within OSP since 2004, repeatedly demon-
strates the positive impact Toastmaster’s has on both sides of the prison walls. As a consistent re-
cipient of the Toastmaster’s President’s Distinguished Award, they exemplify Toastmaster’s mission
and have become leaders inside and outside of their community. But, for them, becoming leaders
means taking responsibility for the actions that brought them here.
“Toastmaster’s mission is to empower individuals to become more effective communicators and
leaders,” explains Robison. “Capital Toastmasters, as well as other prison clubs, are an untapped
resource. I believe we have a societal obligation to use our communication and leadership skills to
bring all crime-impacted stakeholders together, regardless of our dissimilar views.”
“It just makes sense,” Hall states in agreement. “An event like this, at a place like OSP, is the be-
ginning of exploring meaningful ways in which we as conscientious Adults In Custody can make
meaningful contributions to the outside community.”
The leadership guest list is a collection of lawmakers, academia, victim advocates, criminal justice
representatives, and Toastmaster’s leaders. They will come together to communicate concepts,
preferred narratives, and proposed solutions through the following workshops:
• Beyond Rehabilitation: Transforming Justice
• Survivors of Harm
• Credible Messengers
If you’d like more information about the 2024 Toastmasters International District 7 Community
Safety Conference, contact the Capital Toastmasters Club at Damon.G.Griffin@doc.oregon.gov,
with Capital Toastmasters in the subject line; or Jim Robison, District Director, at dd@d7toastmas-
ters.org.

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