COMMUNITY
Parole changes may hit county
By Vegar Stokset
The parol** and probation officer tails the offend
er Mik«> This .12-vi’nr old I,an** County resident
physically struck down two convenience store
clerks recently for a pack of < igarettes
Mike's drug dtipendimi y and unstable temper has
for years made him a threat to the safety of com
munity citizens He has been in and out of state pris
ons for more than a decade and is currently on
parole
Recently. Mike called a < mintv prolwtion officer
and said lie hail relapsed Into drug use After detox
ification. the probation off!* er searched for possi
ble responses to Mike's relapse.
In the near future. Mike may be one of the 500
offenders whoiould fa- Irealed annually through a
proposed day reporting center program in Kugene
"A day reporting * enter would provide intensi
fied superyision ami reintegration services for
parolees and prohation violators." said Donna I -at -
tin, a Unu (.onntv i time lions adviser "This way.
we hope to rt*du< e the ret vi ling of criminals m the
juslii e sy stem
Instead of sending people like Mike back to jail,
they would In* rtspured to n-port m on a daily twsis
to a case manager who would make sore that eat h
individual follows conditions of supervision and
gets proper treatment
In addition, to enham e supervision. l-attin said
the i enter could make a range of servo es available
to help the offender out of the cycle of addit lion
and < rime
Daily sessions would make the offenders better
prepared to slay straight and learn new skills This
includes t hisses hi life skills, mental health, job
readiness, anti alcohol and drug treatment
Thu aim is to respond more efficiently to offend
ers that would otherwise keep engaging in i rimes,
thereby redut mg the need for imprisonment State
officials say that the probation and parole violators
traditionally ot i upy more than hall of the prison
"In litis budget i runt It. wo need to cont« up with
different wavs at dealing with ol fenders without
compromising public safely, said Joanne fuller,
evil ulivi* manager at the state department of« or
re< lions
lint state plans to shift the limited resources from
lower-risk to higher-risk offenders, reduce the mini
Iht of offenders on supervision by r»0 jHment, and
spend more oil community-based corrections,
including day reporting centers
Although the • onoept of a day reporting center
is generally accepted among local corrections offi
i nils, the stale's plan to consequently reduce super
vision of offenders is harder to swallow
John II Nilsen. a I-one County parole and branch
olfic er. called the state's plan a "gamble with pub
lic safely, and an abandonment of the good work
we have started
II the state proposal is passed by the l-egislalure
in |nne, Lane County will have to drop supervision
of about 1,500 of its 2.WM) offenders currently on
probation and parole, resulting in a loss of its 42
parole and probation officers
Nilsen said he felt betrayed by the proposal,
whic h would end a wide array of services that
parole and profusion clients currently receive front
the officers A large group of unstable offenders
would he left without anyone to hold them account
able. he said
"Our offic ers are doing some very crucial work
monitoring and meeting the needs of the parolees
The center is almost offered
as a do-away with
supervision.'
Dave Koch,
branch manager Ior paroie and corrections
and probationers." Nilsen said "It would be « mess
if those services wen? taken awa\
Nilsen said he supports the idea of a dav report
ing center, but he does not believe it is sound pol
icy to lay off probation and parole personnel in order
to fund such a program
"Our local parole and probation office has built
up a pool of resources so that we prat finally func
tion as a day reporting center,” Nilsen said "Rather
than duplir aling the sers u es in a new location, we
could do the job lust as well from our l<s alities "
State (an nit Court fudge Kip Leonard agnssl with
NiUen that a das reporting < enter could only be
accepted on top ol the current level of supervi
sion staff in the i ounly
"Tlie criminal justice s\ stem is dependent on the
parole and probation officers," Leonard said. "It
would lie a disaster to lose them ”
The home-viaits and the follow-up of the offend
ers on supervision are crucial factors in the jus
tice process, he said
"To cut home-visits is to cut the heart out of the
supervision programs." Leonard said Probation
and parole officers show tip at the offender s home
at least sis times a year and can detm t and report
potential i lolations
lm luded in the loi-ai program plan, which recent
1\ got its initial approval at a Corrections Adviso
ry (.oinmtutfo nuumng. is (lay reporting, nowiy
< (immunity placement and detention on
a secure facility outside of fjine County
Dos e Kim h. brant fi manager for parole and cor
ns lions, said he believes the issue of a day report
ing center is overplayed
"The center is almost offered as a do-away with
supervision.' Km h said "But the planned center
would only handle 30 offenders on a daily Iwsis,
representing about 1 percent of the average num
ber of offenders currently in our county '
A major problem in Lane County. Koch said, is
that few alternatives to incarceration are available
for probation and parolee violators Koch said the
county officials believe tiiat those people ant the
state’s problem and they will generally not tx* admit
ted into Iim^iI programs
Koch said he ho|>os to see more use of commu
nity corrm tional programs, which are both more
humane and cost-olfm live The goal must be to
match special programs with i ertoin types of offend
ers in a un attempt to break the cycle of crime
Day reporting centers are part of state policy
i hanges that recognize offenders may lie efficient
ly and effectively treated through means oilier than
a hard cell. Koch said
A day reporting center is a fairly new innovation
hi the justice system. Koi h said. But he said he
strongly believes it is worth a try. The day report
ing ( enter in Marion County is too young for
researchers to determine the rate of success, hut
about 12 other states have successfully run day
reporting centers for several years. Koch said.
"It is hard to predict the effectiveness of a day
reporting center in Eugene," Koch said "But what
we re all about is to figure out the right mixture of
supervision, sanctions and treatment."
Guild gives writers
critiques of writings
By Katy Moeller
for trw Oregon Oruiy (marato
Armed with hall point pen* and a handful of photocopies,
a dozen community poets and fiction writers gather weekly at
the New Zone Gallery to hear candid reactions to their latest
work
The I-ane Literary Guild organizes the weekly workshops,
which are free and open to the public. The workshops attract
w riters of all ages and caliber, though the current members
reflect a middle-aged, well-educated and highly motivated group
of writers.
The workshops take place at the New Zone Gallery', a small,
quaint gallery' looted near the Fifth Street Public Market. Though
the gallery does not boast soft chairs, cushy couches or even a
table to write on, it does serve as a dependable place where writ
ers ran meet and discuss their work.
In the past the guild had workshops in which both poetry and
fiction were critiqued, but because of the length of tho fiction
pieces, a separate fiction workshop was formed.
In general, about a half-dozen people attend the poetry work
shops. The format is friendly and informal, with the group dis
cussion led by Craig Gilbert. Gilbert, a financial planner by pro
fession, said he enjoys nurturing his writing on the side.
The group critiques poems that are handed out in the work
shop the week before This allows for time to read, reread and
write comments. Some write tedious notes in tho margins, which
cover as much space as the work itself.
The author of a poem usually reads it aloud to the group, pro
viding a greater understanding of the intended voice and tone.
And then, silence
Eyebrows arch and distort in thougtitlul contemplation Alter
a couple of minutes, there is a shuffling of papers and a shift
ing in seats. Often there are smirks and smiles reflecting delight
at a clever idea or turn of phrase. Sometimes there are just blank
stares.
"As a poem, it's too judgmental. Mon are s-and this is
how they am. Then again it could just be my perceptions," said
Richard Reed, pointedly responding to a poem.
"I feel the exact opposite. 1 didn't get that at all. 1 had a very
warm and positive experience," Bjo Ashwill said.
The author of the as yet untitled poem, Kathryn Steadman,
appreciated both comments. In fact, she likes the feedback giv
en by group members.
"I like the group the way it is. People are honest. Their first
concern is the poem and improving h.” she said.
Steadman, a mother of three and full-time student at Lane
Community College, hopes one day to publish a book of poet
ry. Her poetry, which is held in high regard by members of
the group, has been published in Denali, a collection of writing
produced at Lane, and Fireweed, a book of western Oregon poet
ry'.
One of the editors of Fireweed. Erik Muller, is also a member
of the poetry workshop. Muller, a guiding light for the guild for
the past few years, has taught writing for 27 years, including
s«ven years at Lane Community College. He said he moved to
Eugene from Coos Bay so that he could meet other writers.
The fiction workshop, which has met only three times, is
in the process of building a core group of dedicated writers.
The "reluctant coordinator." as Sylvia Wright calls herself,
lielieves the separation from the poetry workshop was neces
sary to adequately critique the longer pieces.
Only one University student regularly attends the fiction
workshop.
Brian Wittenbrook. a post-baccalaureate student in psychol
ogy, brings his short stories to the group to lie critiqued. Although
he said writing t an tie quite a challenge. Wittenbrook hopes
to produce a novel some day.
"1 think of stories a lot. It’s hard to write, though. It’s a bit
of a force to get stuff down." he said.
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