Street roots
13
Jan 18, 2013
e j
Lawmakers have opportunity to flatline prison growth
BY DAVID ROGERS
reforms that allow judicial discretion for ’
select offenses can ensure the appropriate
n Nov. 30, Gov. John Kitzhaber
accountability without increasing prison
released his proposed budget for
capacity.
2013-15. The budget included no
3) Ballot Measure 57 created increased
money for prison expansion - despite the sentences for drug and property crimes.
fact that the state projects it will need more
Most people convicted under Measure 57
than 2,000 new prison beds at an estimated
would be better served by shorter sentences
cost of $600 million over
and increased access to addiction treatment.
the next decade.
Measure 57 is the key reason for the current
The governor based his
prison forecast that indicates we will need
budget, instead, on the
more than 2,000 more prison beds in the
idea that it’s time to stop
next decade. Phasing out large portions of
the skyrocketing increase
Measure 57’s sentence enhancements while
in Oregon’s prison
increasing drug court diversions provides a
population — to hold
better approach to breaking the cycle of
prison growth flat — a
addiction-driven crime.
bold and important step
4) Oregon prisoners are staying in prison
for Oregon.
longer than at any other point in the last
How can prison growth be flatlined while
decade, and this increased length of stay is a
still maintaining community safety? The
core driver of the growing prison population.
governor created a high-level commission of
The commission recommends expanding
experts to answer that very question. In
earned-time eligibility by 10 percent for
December, the Commission on Public Safety
those that are currently eligible. Earned-time
provided its final report, recommending a
is a policy implemented by the DO C that can
package of reforms that would smartly
provide people with time off their sentences
reduce the prison population prospectively
for program participation and active
(meaning recommended policy changes
rehabilitation work. This policy provides an
would not apply to individuals currently in
incentive to use time in prison productively
prison) and shift the focus of our public
and can reduce recidivism. The
safety system to prevention and local
recommendation would increase total
interventions.
allowable earned time to 30 percent and
Here are highlights from those
would not apply to those sentenced under
recommendations:
Measure 11.
1) Currently, the Department of
5) Despite an overwhelming amount of
Corrections does not sufficiently assist
research that suggests the contrary is
people soon to be released from prison or
needed, Oregon regularly charges and
provide enough of a transition period to
sentences youth as adults. Youth serving
ensure that people leaving prison are better
mandatory minimum adult sentences and
prepared for successful re-entry into the
who successfully complete all available
community. The commission recommends
programming have a chance to have a judge
extending transitional leave and
look at their progress and determine
strengthening the transitional leave
whether a different level of supervision is
useful for the remainder of the sentence.
application process. This is a period where
certain people are released early into the
The commission recommends requiring a
community while still under the authority of
hearing part-way through a young person’s
D O C and receive intensive re-entry support
mandatory sentence where a judge can
and supervision.
determine if the youth should remain in
prison or could be transferred for mandatory
2) Our current mandatory minimums
supervision by a parole officer.
prevent judges from using discretion and
6) Currently, counties that reduce their
force longer than appropriate sentences for
impact on the state prison population
some lower-level Measure 11 crimes. Modest
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
O
David Rogers is the
executive director for
Partnership for Safety
and Justice. P S J is a
statewide, non-profit
advocacy
organization
dedicated to making
Oregon’s approach to
crime and public
safety more effective
and just.
2 1 1 info
through decisions made in sentencing,
supervision, and revocation have no financial
incentive to do so. For instance, if a county
court focuses on effective sanctions for
holding a probation violator accountable
without sending them to state prison, the
county bears the cost. This means that
counties can often focus on more expensive
and less effective prison sanctions for low-
level infractions. The commission
recommends creating a voluntary
performance incentive program that provides
fiscal incentives for counties to reduce
recidivism and safely reduce their impact on
the state prison population.
In addition to the above policy
recommendations, the governor and the
Commission on Public Safety are looking to
shift the way we fund Oregon’s public safety
infrastructure. Currently, a majority of our
public safety spending goes to our prison
system, which in many ways means we have
failed. The governor is advocating that we
shift funding to strengthen local intervention
and crime prevention programs. This means
more resources for addiction treatment and
mental health services and more resources
for community corrections and drug courts,
for example.
There is a huge hope that community-
based victim services also receive a
significant increase in funding. In 2011, more
than 20,000 requests for emergency shelter
for domestic and sexual violence victims
went unmet in Oregon. We can, and must, do
something about this. Providing domestic
violence victims with access to shelter, safety
planning and legal advocacy can reduce
re-assault by up to 70 percent, and yet these
programs are tragically underfunded.
The policy changes that reduce prison
expansion are critical, but without investing
in our local public safety infrastructure, we
will not actually be strengthening Oregon’s
approach to crime and accountability in
sustainable ways.
The governor has laid out a bold agenda
and the upcoming Legislative Session begins
on Feb. 4. Sensible public safety reform will
be one of the most impactful issues the
legislature will attempt to tackle. Here is
hoping they can get it done.
CENTRAL CITY
Celebrate the season with the
H o lid a y R o a st from
Portland Roasting!
If you need help with
any of the following:
Food Resources, Health Care, Public
Agencies, Legal Services, Employment
Resources, Counseling/Support Groups
Housing/Emergency Shelter and Much
More!
$1 of every b a g purchased
benefits Central City Concern.
A v ailab le in retail locations,
a n d at:
■ CCC Business Enterprises office
118 NW Third Avez Portland
■ www.portlandroasting.com
Original artw ork from The Hand That Takes by Eric Orooker,
courtesy of WRAP (Western Regional Advocacy Project).
From your cell: 503-222-5555.
w w w . centralcity concur n . org
503-467-4630
This man works.
So does
Street Roots.
* ToredoHtm {20?2 Robosigning and Mortgage Servicing Settiemen! 1."
The Rew York Tlnws 2 April 2012.
Portland
embrace
www.portlandhearingvoices.net