Street Roots • January 23-29,2015
Page 3
E d ito ria l
County should preserve in-person visitation
If y o u w o u ld lik e
TTn a time when prison reform looks to be gaining
prison communications leader had already been pulling
I momentum in Oregon and around the country,
in millions of dollars from Multnomah County inmates
JL Multnomah County, one of the nation’s most liberal
and their families for years from high fees on collect
counties, is headed in the wrong direction.
calls.
As reported by Street Roots earlier this month
In Multnomah County, Securus charges $5.43 for a
(“Captive consumers,” Street Roots, Jan. 2), and in this
15-minute local call. The commissions made by the
week’s edition (Revisiting
county from phone calls go into the Inmate Welfare
visitation, pg. 4), Multnomah
Fund, which was set up to pay for activities and services
W
County Sheriff’s Office has signed
that benefit inmates. But over the past two fiscal years,
a contract with Securus
$92,521 was taken out of the Inmate Welfare Fund to
_________ pay for other things on the county’s
Technologies Inc.,
_______
agreeing to replace all
agenda, such as an Eastside Streetcar
family and friend in-person visits at county ‘ Securus is one of assessment. The Inmate Welfare Fund was
jails With the Texas-based company’s video- three private
one of only a handful of funds diverted as
visiting service.
part of a supplemental budget both years.
companies
Securus is one of three private
Multnomah County should renegotiate
drawing revenue
companies drawing revenue from people
the contract with Securus to allow for
from people who in-person visitation. A U.S. Department of
who are incarcerated in Multnomah County.
are incarcerated Justice report released in December states:
TouchPay GeiiPar, also a Texas-based
“Incarcerated individuals have better
company, draws money from fees placed on in Multnomah
inmate account deposits. And Numi
outcomes when they receive in-person
County.
Financial turns a profit from the
■■■■■
visits from family members and supportive
community members.”
transactions on debit cards — cards that are
The DOJ says that while video visiting can help to
issued to every individual who is arrested and detained
keep children in contact with their parents, it has the
in the jail and used to reclaim his p r her personal cash.
greatest benefits when it is used in addition to in-person
Securus is contracted with 2,600 facilities in 46
visits, not as a replacement. We couldn’t agree more.
states. It boasts that it has paid $1.3 billion in
We have to preserve in-person visitation.
commissions to correctional facilities over the past 10
Moreover, Multnomah County shouldn’t be using
years. In 2009, the last year financial information was
money made from inmates and their families to support
made publicly available, Securus brought in more than
projects outside of the jail. That’s an end-run to a-poor
$363 million in revenue.
man’s tax. The money made off of inmates should back
To add insult to injury, Street Roots reported that
toward programs that offer inmates the opportunity to
long before Multnomah County signed a deal with
Securus Technologies for its video-visiting system, the
be successful both inside the jail and upon release.
to h
a
v
/
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e
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contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at
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Street Roots
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Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl
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Development D irec to r ¿ I f l t
fM i
Development Assistant Ann-Derrick
Gaiilot
Oregonian series an opportunity to seize the moment
homelessness and housing in Portland. Most people
lot people in the housing community,- for better
don’t care about bureaucratic details or what insiders
or worse, are worked up over Anna Griffin’s
think about a specific topic. What people care about is
ongoing series on homelessness in The
Oregonian. Get used to it. A new story will come out finding out how they as a community can help. Whether
you’re an average citizen, a government official, law
every Friday for the next six weeks.
enforcement or part of the business community j|||g
Wait, does this mean I’m promoting The Oregonian’s
nobody wants to see thousands of people suffering in
series in Street Roots? I suppose lam .
Trying to capture the issue of homelessness in a
our doorways and under bridges.
meaningful way is no easy task for a
We all may have a different reason for ultimately
reporter. The homeless crisis in
coming to that realization - be it from a place of
America is dense and complex.
experience or compassion, economics or one’s own self-
1 R E C T O R 5
From the disinvestment of federal
interests. In the end, does it matter whether we can all
D ESK
funds over the past 30 years to
agree that we need more resources to offer individuals
local communities having to carry
and families housing in the region? I don’t think so.
By Israel Bayer
the water to the day-to-day realities
What matters is capturing that collective sense of
of people living outdoors and how it wanting to do something about the issue and then
affects the larger community — it’s
building the political will to carry it forward.
more than a handful to try to
If the result of The Oregonian’s reporting is getting
capture in a meaningful way. Everyone has an opinion
mad and trashing The Oregonian instead of pivoting to
and an angle. Nobody who dedicates his or her life to
seize the moment, then we’ve already failed. Believe
this work wants to hear a story about how a specific
me, I get it. It’s easy to get caught up in bashing The
plan has failed, or one that is framed in a way that may
Oregonian - and it might be even more tempting if the
hurt a specific cause or agenda, especially when
reports are followed with editorials condemning
resources are involved and the political will to end the
government action. Saying that, let’s not throw the baby
problem is genuine.
.out with the bathwater. Like it or not, good reporting
Writing a column and being the director of Street
should always challenge our assumptions and help us
Roots - a newspaper that has been covering the issue
understand the problem at a deeper level. Does this
of homelessness and poverty for years - 1 certainly
mean Anna Griffin and The Oregonian will get every
understand the pressure that comes with trying to
single thing right in the series? Probably not, but that’s
present these complex issues publicly in a way that’s
not
the point. Who among us does?
engaging, real and, most importantly, offers actual
Having The Oregonian cover this issue gives housing
meaning. Depending on how you choose to frame a
advocates and government leaders an amazing
particular issue or topic may be the difference between
opportunity to turn this conversation into action items
the public becoming more engaged or simply not earing
that do something big to tackle the problem. How about
at all.
we sieze the moment?
Here’s the thing I’ve learned most about the issue of
8
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him a t '
israei@streetrodts.org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
Reporters Emily Green, Sarah Hansell,
Sam Bouman, Jacques Von Lunen
Photographers Diego Diaz, Kristina
W right
Board of Directors
Chairman Bruce Anderson ,
Vice-Chairman Michael Anderson
Treasurer Heather Stadick
Secretary Amber Bielman
Directors Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo
Rhodes, Ken Hawkins, Mora Coon, Darren
Alexander, Eddie Barbosa
Volunteers
Jan Bayer, Rob Shyrock, Stacey Heath, John
Barker, Dane Nicklas, Kevin Glasel, Sarah
Hansell, Sam Bouman, Eliese Baker, Tom Ray,
Cherie Vedal, Jessie Carver, Mary Locke, James
Yu, Melissa,Kahn, Vtnnie Kinsella, Lisa Waldo,
Monica Kwasnik
If you are interested in volunteering w ith
Street Roots, please submit a volunteer
application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or
call Volunteer Coordinator Grace Badik fo r
more information at 503-228-5657.