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 los 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. ne Shutter bug ’s EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS ON SALE SALE! 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