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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2015)
2015 INCARCERATION, from page 5 News colleagues on Nov. 3 to approve three Untitled ways the county plans to move forward on A report on the Multnomah County Departm ent of Corrections during the last a proposal for the MacArthur grant, three m onths of 2014 found evidence that although it’s not proposing any strategies many inmates had a pattern of repeat that will significantly reduce jail beds, incarceration in an apparent attempt to which may hinder its chances of w in n in g access mental health services within the Jones said to make additional significant jail. dents in the county jail population, would In an effort to get more funding for “require a lot more than fine tuning. It mental health alternatives and to better understand how it can further reduce would take basic changes about how we disparities, Multnomah County applied for look at crime and dealing with it.” and won the first phase of a competitive Underhill said the county plans to grant from the M acArthur Foundation. initiate three actions, starting with < f,? n T S ° ne of 20 jurisdictions awarded understanding and reducing racial and 5150,000 in the first phase, but only 10 jurisdictions will win $500,000 to $2 ethnic disparity at every point in the million in the next round based on their justice system - from calls for service proposals. from victims to re-entry. In early October, Multnomah County He said anecdotally that county officials Circuit Court Judge Edward Jones traveled believe crime victims are to Chicago with seven other disproportionately minorities, but there’s representatives from the county justice system to m eet with the foundation and 19 no hard data to prove it. other jurisdictions competing for the The county also wants to revamp second phase of grant money. Community Court, “or at least look at it,” Jones said the MacArthur Foundation he said. “Community court today is not wants “bold” proposals to reduce the what community court was in the 1990s number of jail beds, and there’s a feeling in Multnomah County that most significant when it began. For example, it’s not even strategies for reductions have already been in the community, necessarily, like it used implemented. to be.” He said he doesn’t think the bounty will And finally, he said, the county plans a be able to stop arresting and prosecuting “serious drill down into mental health offenders struggling with mental illness impacted individuals that occupy our jail.” and addiction for low-level crimes until This strategy includes incorporating there ¡are better alternatives. J ^ l & ^ ^ em j^untq the booking process,, N o t b o o k in g t h e m in to ja il means we’re notprosecuting them - what is the officer processing mentally ill individuals more going to do with those people? We’re quickly and expanding community-based dealing with them because the community resources for releasable detainees, isn’t,” he said. “People are very supportive according to a status update sent from an of law enforcement, but not of social outside consulting agency to county chair services. But everyone in the system Deborah Kafoury. But it’s estimated this knows we can do more with social services.” strategy would only represent a 1.2 to 2.5 Underhill voted alongside county percent reduction in jail use. by Jason Scheer Did you not notice I was gone in your eyes? Caught my breath and lost my heart. Daydreaming again... of what, I won’t admit, In sweaty dreams, acts of lust J commit. Who am I anymore, but this slave of yours? I am a cat chasing its tail Thinking I’m going to get somewhere, someday. I have faith love will show me the way. My world is forever changed, don’t lose me. This creature of yours that I’ve become Be brave, restless heart, you’re a warrior now Who am I anymore, but this slave of yours? I am a cat chasing its tail Thinking I’m going to get somewhere, someday I have faith love will show me the way. 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