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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2016)
20 Wednesday, June 15, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon ARREST: Trooper stopped pursuit for safety Continued from page 1 complex on Full Moon Drive. The driver, identified as Justin Scott Kraupa, 27, of Albany, attempted to flee on foot but was cap- tured by members of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Bend Police Department. He was taken into custody without further incident. Agencies involved were the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Police Department and the Oregon State Police. FIRE: Weather helped keep blaze to 2,000 acres Continued from page 1 around the state to assist local fire departments in bat- tling the fire. Firefighters got an assist from a change in the weather that brought cooler tempera- tures and calmer conditions through the weekend. They took full advantage of the reprieve to get the fire fully lined by Friday. As of press time, the fire was 80 percent contained and fire officials were con- fident that containment lines could withstand a mild test associated with a warming trend and stronger winds. As of Monday, there were 537 personnel fighting the fire at a cost of $950,000. Year-round FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com Looking Outward Dan Glode Columnist Prisons and schools Jails and prisons are the compliment of schools. So many less you have of the latter the more you have of the former. – Horace Mann Over the years I have read about the challenges the Sisters School District has had with their budget. They are endlessly trying to squeeze more out of a budget which keeps getting tighter and tighter. They seem to have risen to the challenge, but the challenge gets more difficult year by year. Last year, Oregon spent just under $10,000 per stu- dent on K-12 education. Our state ranks 32nd among all states in the amount spent per student, a very poor showing. Back in 1995 we were among the states spending the most per pupil and we were in the top 1/4 of the nation on average. In addition to that we also have the second highest student/teacher ratio in the country. That is terrible and embarrassing. I think part of the rea- son (not all) is that we have SISTERS STE ST TE R S C CARPET A R P E T CLEANING C L E A N IN — Proudly serving Sisters since 1979 — Call to schedule your Summer Carpet Cleaning 541-549-2216 UPHOLSTERY CLEANING $ – We can straighten ‘em out – chosen to build prisons over investing in our schools. During the period between 1983-2013 the Department of Corrections (DOC) bud- get went up four times. We now spend two times on prisons what we spend on state colleges and universi- ties and, I believe, we are the only state that spends that proportion. We spend less than $10,000 per year to keep a kid in school but over $30,000 to keep an inmate in prison. How did all this happen? Let me give you my take. I became district attor- ney for Lincoln County in 1989. At that time when we convicted a defendant of a serious felony the judge often sentenced him or her to prison for a determinant sentence. So if a defendant got a 10-year sentence the public assumed they would serve a fair amount of time in prison. Not so. Due to prison overcrowding many defendants who were sen- tenced to years in prisons got only a few months and were released into the community by the parole board. Some served a few months, oth- ers a few weeks, days or, in some cases they were almost immediately released. It was an untenable system and the public was furious — and justifiably so. A task force was formed by the governor to look at alternatives, and they devel- oped a sentencing guide- line system which passed the state legislature in 1989 and was implemented soon thereafter. Briefly, a chart was developed which took into consideration the seri- ousness of the offense and the defendant’s criminal history. Where the lines converged was number of 10 OFF ALS PHYSIC SPOR 0 TS from each physical Plus, $1 e SHS will be donated to th through 6-30-16 Athletics program! Valid Free drawing for a set of ankle braces! Proud sponsor of Outlaws Athletics! Loaner Cars Deductible Assistance Windshield Replacement p 3818 SW 21st Pl. YourCareMedical.com 541-549-DENT — 541-549-3368 — Hwy. 126 to Redmond, two turns and you’re there! (Near fairgrounds) 332 W. Barclay Dr., Sisters 541-548-2899 On-site Digital X-Rays! WALK-IN • URGENT CARE• OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE months (a range) and in that range was a prison sentence a judge could impose. This system took away some authority from the judges and the parole board. It basi- cally was a way to allocate an existing resource and pro- vide sentencing consistency. It did do that, but the public perception was that the time served was woefully inad- equate and it probably was for more serious offenses. The guidelines system is still used for non-person crimes. But, during the 1990s crime and gang-related crime was raging. Pushed by Rep. Kevin Mannix, angry Oregon voters over- whelmingly passed Measure 11. For 21 “person” crimes, stiff, mandatory sentences were required (murder, fel- ony assault, rape, etc.) and it was decided the remand sys- tem would be discarded and everyone from the age of 15 to adulthood would be tried and sentenced as adults. There was no early release for good behavior — or any reason. Sentences were for a specific period of time and they were lengthy. Defendants who commit- ted multiple offenses could have their sentences stacked consecutively. Oregon went on a prison-building boom. Our percentage of people incarcerated per population is not outrageous, but when incarceration is required per Measure 11 the sentences are lengthy and rigid. Prosecutors gained an enormous amount of power under this scheme since what is charged ultimately affects the final sentence outcome with certainty. The judge’s role was again mini- mized. If one gets convicted of a Measure 11 offense the specific sentence is predetermined. I am not opposed to most of this, but I think we have to remember an iron law of incarceration: almost all inmates get out. So while sentencing a 15-year-old to 10 years in prison takes them off the street for that time, they are out when they are 25 years old. We, in this state, do miserably dealing with offender re-entry and our recidivism rate shows it. Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of people for whom we need to keep a wall between them and us. (Certain sex offenders, repeat offenders, etc.). I do think, however, we need to take another look at the sys- tem as a whole and deter- mine the purpose of incar- ceration for each defendant. For some it may to keep that wall there; for others it may be to rehabilitate. If the lat- ter is the case then prisons are a tool, not an end in themselves. For some, we need to take an honest shot at get- ting them reintegrated, as in the case of some younger offenders. We need to build a bit more flexibility in the system. We need to do more. There is a linkage between sentencing a defen- dant somewhere in Oregon and our own local educa- tion system. Money for one takes away from money for the other. It’s time we took an honest, comprehensive look at it. You are invited to the 1st Thirsty Thursday June 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Eurosports Food Cart Garden Dog & Family Friendly! Raise a paw! A portion of the beer & wine sales are donated to Furry Friends Foundation. Corner of Hood & Fir • Sisters 541-549-2471 • 7 days a week Celebrating 25 years