7
Street roots
April 15, 2011
STRIKING OUT, fro m page 3
consider sentences on a case-by-case basis.
Sen. Prozanski, who thinks mandatory
minimum sentencing “serves a purpose,”
also calls it “a sledge hammer approach ...
that doesn’t really allow the judge the
discretion to hold people accountable.to a
higher degree.”
Shields says the simplest way to give
discretion back to judges would be the make
the mandatory minimum sentences
prescribed by Measure 11 presumptive,
rather than mandatory. That would mean
someone may get the amount of time
prescribed by Measure 11, but would give
the judge discretion to give a lesser or more
severe sentence based upon the individual
circumstances of the case.
“It would allow a judge in certain
circumstances to depart (from the
sentence) in ways that are meaningful,” he
says.
McKechnie wants further reform
regarding juveniles convicted of Measure 11
crimes, specifically wanting the state to
adopt a “second look” approach where
there is a hearing halfway through the
juvenile’s sentence to determine whether
the juvenile can be given a conditional
release.
“It doesn’t shorten their sentence, but it
allows them to serve the second half of the
sentence in some other setting,”
McKechnie says, such as a halfway house,
residential treatment facility, or other
facility where the juvenile is under
supervision.
McKechnie says reforms to how juveniles
are dealt with are necessary because the
threat of Measure 11 in an adolescent’s
mind is much different than it is for an
adult.
“A lot of them are first-time offenders and
don’t have serious offenses,” he says. “They
are im m ature and impulsive and don’t
c .
necessarily think about th e consequences of
their behavior. The potential with being
charged by Measure 11 or treated as an
adult didn’t cross their minds.”
Advocates for reform have already scored
a victory in this legislative session. On
March 28, the House unanimously passed a
bill that prohibits juvenile offenders from
serving their sentences in adult prisons.
The bill’s next step is to receive a public
hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee,
then move for a vote in the Senate.
That is a significant victory, given that a
s im ila r bill died an early death in the 2007
Legislature. That was one of multiple failed
efforts to change Measure 11. The first
attempt was a ballot measure in 2000,
which would have completely repealed
Measure 11. It met with dismal failure, with
74 percent of the electorate voting against
i t “It was a political disaster,” Rogers says.
Real progress was not made until 2009,
when the -Safety and Savings Act diverted
$84 million from the prison system to
alcohol and drug treatment and mental
health services. It also delayed the
implementation of Measure 57, which
created mandatory sentences for drug and
property crimes.
“We had no money,” says Shields, who
introduced the act. “If we didn’t begin to
slow the growth of our prison system,
domestic violence services, drug and
alcohol treatment, a whole slew of other
services would have been c u t”
Prozanski describes the passage of HB
3508 as a “catalyst” for reform to Measure
11-
High up on Rogers and other prison
reform advocates’ wish list of reforms is to
allow Measure 11 inmates to reduce a
portion of their sentences through earned
time. An inmate’s sentence can be reduced
anywhere between 10 to 30 percent if they
elect to participate in job skills training,
counseling, drug and alcohol treatment and
other activities that change their behavior.
“It gives people incentive to participate
in the programs and the work that helps
them more likely to succeed when they get
out,” Rogers says.
Measure 11 prisoners currently cannot
participate in any prison program,
regardless of whether it is connected to
earned time or not. However, federal policy
allows prisoners, with the exception of
murderers and those who commit treason,
to earn up to 15 percent off their
sentences.
Prozanski says h e will introduce a bill or
amendment into the Legislature adopting
the federal earned time model for Oregon’s
Measure 11 offenders.
“I have plenty of bills to put it in,”
Prozanski says.
“We’re going to see a significant shift as
to how we’re going to cut costs,” Prozanski
says. “It has to be in corrections. I’m not
going to cut state police and forensic labs.”
Rogers calls Measure 11 the “800 pound
gorilla” in any room where discussions of
budget cuts take place.
“It’s not going away,” he says.
Nothing is the Same
by Sergio Holffmans
When I wake in the morning, something tells me that things are not the same.
I see a sad bird that does not want to fly,
A dry lake and a tree that is beginning to dry out
Then, in iny mind come the memories of when I had you in my arms
And I did not know how to love or appreciate.
Now I find myself in the middle of four walls and in the middle of two questions:
Do I hate myself or do you love me?
This I don’t know if you know.
Today I want to wander in the deep, never-ending loneliness and bitterness
With a love like torture,
Like Neruda’s poem,
How he wrote of the pain and love that hurt the heart of an ungrateful man.
I wake up this morning, and things are the same.
Then I see the guitar against the wall that you played
And will never play again.
S a tu rd a y W R IT E I
write arouni A p ril 3 0 , 2 0 1 1
Two-hour FREE community writing workshops!
Journals, pens and light snacks will be provided. One workshop per person and
pre-registration is required. To register: Call 503.796.9224.
1
2
3
Dexter McCarty Middle School,
lOam-Noon, 1400 SE 5th St, Gresham
Mercy Corps Action Center,
lOam-Noon, 45 SW Ankeny St, Portland;
Eastminster Presbyterian Church,
lOam-Noon, 12505 NE Halsey, Portland
4
5
East Portland Community Center,
2-4pm,Multipurpose Room #2,
740 SE 106th Ave, Portland
Go to writearound.org or call 503.796.9224 for more info
Saturday WRITE! is made possible
with support from the
Multnomah' County Cultural Coalition
and the Oregon Cultural Trust.
■J
Café au Play, lOam-Noon,
5633 SE Division, Portland
Workshops are ADÀ-acçessible.
Call 503.796.9224
if you need specific accommodations.
«1. fe
i
jg :
SISÌN6
Rally & March for JOBS
and benefits, not cuts!
SATURDAY, APRIL 16th at NOON
Pioneer Courthouse Square
■ d J A 411 » Id J
IfTFW D ire c t from the front lines o f the battle in Madison-Mahlon Mitchell,
President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin. When talking about why he
led the firefighters into the capital to protest Scott Walker’s attacks on working people, Mitchetl
explained, “IVhen firefighters see an emergency, we respond.”
EIGHT MILLION JOBS were lost In the 2008 meltdown. Today there are more than five job
seekers for every job. Congress should focus on creating jobs, not cutting the safety net!
CO-SPONSORS------------
Let's stand up for community values!
Office C at Rooty wants to thank
everyone who donated dry socks
fo r our vendors. Keeping your feet
dry and in good condition is the
key to good health. Thank you for
your kindness!
• Create good jobs now—stop job-killing trade
agreements.
• Protect and strengthen the safety net.
• Support collective bargaining as 15,000 workers
launch campaign for fairness at work in Portland.
• Wall Street should pay for the economic crisis,
not working people!
Please bring non-perishable food
items for the Oregon Food Bank.
For rftore info, please call JwJ at 503-236-5573.
w w w .jw jp d xio rg
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