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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1977)
I Portland Observer Harrison joins Fmm Thursday, Marek 81, 1977 behind the wall A rt Board See and Sey....Oeeer Johnson work* with speech pathologist Ampere Abila at St. Vincent lie Paul Day Care, a United Way agency. Center offers speech therapy “Make an ‘O' for me. That's it. Now make a T . Good!" The three year «Id boy mimics the speech pathologist at the St. Vincent DePaul Day Care Center, a United Way Agency. It's a game for him, but the “game" will help him the rest of his life. Speech therapy sessions are an extra at St. Vincent DePaul, where graduate students for Portland State University work with youngsters to gain practical experience. It's beneficial for both the PSU stu dents and those at St. Vincent DePaul. W ith parents' permission, students are tested for speech and hearing problems. If the children are found to have severe speech deficiencies, they are taken to the Urban Language Clinic three days a week. The service s provided at no cost to the parents. Four year-old Aime Ashenbrenner is one child who is being helped at the United Way agency. Her mother has already noticed an improvement. “The speech clinicians really have helped her a lot," says Jody Ashen brenner. Aime's mother. "She speaks much clearer. It used to be difficult to understand what she was saying. When you live with a child, you get to know what she is talking about, and you don’t pay much attention to speech problems. "But since she has had help I really have noticed the difference - she is much more verbal. I am sure it is due to the speech clinicians." ’ Mrs. Ashenbrenner calls the service "great". “1 couldn't get this through a private day care center. To have these kinds of people working with my chid is fantas tic." "The people at PSU had a need and so did wo, saae Jester Richards Eich. S t. Vincent DePaul W r ^ P "WeknoW sMhe of the children had problems, but we didn't have funds to bring in speech clinicians." K speech specialist oversees four PSU graduate students, and a part time speech pathologist also assists. St. Vin cent DePaul youngsters are given indi vidual as well as classroom training. Parents play an important part in the program. They are advised by the teach ers about their chldren's conditions, and they are trained in how to work with their children. Barents can have confer ences with the clinicians any time. “St. Vincent DePaul is the only day care center that provides this program," says Sister Ricarda. “Parents are coming to us becuase it's here." Sometimes, however, parents don't realize that their children have speech problems or they think time will take care of it, notes Olga Talley, child care coordinator. The program offers other benefits be sides improved speech and language. "We are finding as a result of working with parents we can help with other problems that have affected the child," says Tom Tison, social service director. Sometimes the clinicians find that a child has learning problems caused by a physi cal disorder, or the child might be emotionally disturbed. With the parents' permission these children are taken to the Oregon Health Sciences Center for special diagnosis and help Usually, however, children have prob lems in language skills, such as compre hending simple instructions. “Sometimes a child will get in trouble at school because he doesn't understand a prepostion," notes Speech Pathologist Amparo Abila. " If a teacher tells him to go to the front of the room or to put his hat on the shelf, for example, he might be confused and may not follow directions." The St. Vincent DePaul teachers agree that the head start these children are receiving wtH be advantageous to them later. The children, of course, don't realize it. They think they are playing games. "And the love it," says Sister Ricarda. Edith Harrison, appointed by Mayor Neil Goldschmidt and approved by the Portland City Council, and Mary Good win, appointed by Chairman Don Clark and approved by the Multnomah County Hoard of Commissioners, this week joined the Metropolitan Arts Commission. They will serve two-year terms on the nine member City/County Commission. Mrs. Harrison, Vice Principal of Roos evelt High School, was a teacher at Jefferson High School for ten years. She headed the A rt Department and devel oped an Afro-American A rt course for the Portland Public Schools. She also worked for several years teaching and coordinating exhibits at the Albina A rt Center and worked with the A rt Educa tion Association to develop course goals in city art programs. She hais been a consultant for the National Teacher Corp, was Director of the Universtiy of Oregon Teacher Corp, and is now serving a threeyear appointment to the Cover nor's Youth Commission. Mrs. Goodwin has served on the Board of Governors of the University of Oregon A rt Museum, as Gallery Guide for the Salem Bush Barn art gallery, and for three years was a docent for the Portland A rt Museum. She is a member of the Planned Parenthood Association Board of Directors and is area representative for Youth for Understanding, a foreign ex change program for high school students. The Metropolitan Arts Commission is dedicated to fostering a rich and diversi fied cultural environment in the com i March 23,1977, as Us • Interior, -Secretary of »raon to hold a in the De- by Larry Baker Salem |O8P| Correspondent advance data suggests that it remained about that level in 1976. The following memo from Mr. Wateon, Superintendent of OSP. refutes many of the current rumors about crime and criminals. Frame of Reference: It is also possible that Oregon's in crease in known violent crime may be a function of enhanced public willingness to report: the increases in reported rape may be a function of the existence of rape advocacy bureaus, for instance. The (xtrrections Division currently oper Trends In Corrections ates a balanced, full service system of The concept of community corrections interlocking programs for handling con in Oregon is neither new nor unique. victed felony offenders. The system is Community services have been the designed to provide maximum protection majority of our load for 20 years, and of the public for short periods of time have been increasingly successful as the (i.e., through imposing institutional or years go by. community controls on the offender) and long term protection by helping people redirect their lives into more law abiding 1966 1976 channels. Field supervision and prison release studies indicate that Oregon is 3,992 Total 7,509 fairly successful in its present approach. 448 Revocations 511 The Division recognizes, of course, the lo f 9 Failures lo f 15 tremendous responsibility of this com mittee as it is called upon to consider changing this system and setting new Our institutions are not the abject public policy, balancing risk, expense and failures many portray them to be. During expected results. You may be sure the the 27» years from July, 1971, through Division can and will exert every effort to December, 1973, our prisons released make successful whatever policy is estab almost 3,000 people (2,946 to be exact). lished. Each was checked for return after three Right now, the public is fearful of full years. The results of the check show: crime, and is being told by many that the present system doesn't work. In res Return to probation control for new ponse, many are demanding that changes crime 6.8% be made, and that community programs Return to institution for rules be abandoned in favor of a punishment violations 10.1% mode. We should find such a model easy Return to institutions for new to operate, after operating the more crimes 11.3% complex system we presently maintain, Not returned to Corrections Division but we believe that the fear on which the attention 71.8% demand is based may be unfounded, and that the response may be unnecessarily National recidivism studies indicate expensive without making any real im that 33% of those released in the 1960’s provement in the results. were returned, and 23% of those released thus far in the 1970’s. Oregon's record of picture He only 18% return for new crime (6.8% to probation, 11.8% to institutions) appears The picture perceived by most to be somewhat better than the national people seems to be that major felony average. crime is rapidly increasing, that violent crime is rampant, that most offenses are System Performance: committed by ex-convicts, and that the Oregon’s criminal justice agencies have efforts of government to control crime as good a record for bringing offenders to simply do not work. In point of fact, none justice as any in the nation. The fact is, of these things are true in Oregon. however, that the chance of going to According to preliminary data now prison--or even of being given Correct becoming available, it appears that major ions Division attention at any level- is felony crime dropped by 4,330 offenses in very slight. Oregon's 1975 records show: 1976, down an estimated 3% from the Known index crimes 152,477 1975 level. Violent crime - murder, rape, Index crime arrests 28,068 robbery, assult - is not the majority of all Circuit Court case filings 14,360 serious felonies. In actuality, violent Corrections Divisions receptions: offenses represented only 6.6% of the Felony probations begun 2,742 total in 1975, and 7.2% of the 1976 total. Felony institution admissions 1,260 Violent crime is increasing, although it is Total felony receptions 4,002 only a minor percentage of the overall Until such time as our criminal justice crime picture-but not at the rampaging system performance in converting known rate the public is often led to believe. And crimes into deliveries to Corrections Oregon's violent crime is significantly Division control improves, there is only less than that experienced nationally: the slight chance that the work of the 1975 national average was 9.1%, and Corrections Division - no matter how good will have much impact on the overall crime picture of the state. Division Performance Data: Performance charts show a steady increase in the number of persons super vised. and "strong improvement in oar ability to handle offenders in the com munity without revocation to institu tions." How often do they return after they are released, and for what? Of the ten who do return: Pour are returned for rules violations rather than for new crimes; Another four do commit new crimes and are returned to institutions: Two commit new crimes which the courts believe justify probation, rather than confinement. The more serious the original offense, the more likely we will rturn the person to an institution for rules violation. This study confirms other results, with 71% not returning. In Summary •The Corrections Division can and willwork to make any system sue ceed. Our current system, based on flexibility to respond appropriately to individual case factors, works rather well. •Public fears appear to be unfounded, when the facts are closely examined. Community corrections has been a standard of Oregon's service for 20 years, and has been increasingly successful. •Tracking of thoae leaving prison shows a relatively small percentage of returns - better than the national return rates. •Given present overall system per formance, there is slight chance that any response of the Corrections Div ision will be successful in changing the general crime picture. Given these facts, serious questions must be raised as to the likelihood that any system of mandatory terms will prove to be successful in changing crime rates, or in better preparing identified offenders to lead law-abiding lives. It appears that such proposals are based more on an academic concept of fairness than on the reality of public requirement for protection; more on misconception of the actual data of Oregon than on any demonstrated ability to improve cor rectional results or criminal justice per formance. (Please address comments or questions to “From behind the wall" % Portland Obeerver Box 3137 Portland 97206) Inside Africa Sahara is ‘Free Fire' Zone E L A A IU N .W E S T E R N SAH AR A. Mar. 24 (P N S /A N ) - The entire Western Sahara, now occupied by Morocco and Mauritania, has been declared a "“free fire sone” by the Moroccan army in an intens ification of its battle against the nation alist Polisario Front. Journalists who recently visited Poli sario camps in the battle sone say the guerrilla army now virtually controls the expansive desert of the former Spanish colony, while Moroccan forces cling to the cities. A t least six US-built Moroccan fighter planes have been shot down in recent months - one recorded on British tele vision. The guerrillas have also cut the vital rail link between Mauritania's iron depuaiata and the A tlau tk port. As a result of the violence, more than half the Saharan population - some 66,000 people - have filed into Polisario refugee camps in neighboring Algeria, the base of the guerrilla operations. Despite denials by Polisario officials, observers claim the guerrillas are being trained by North Korean advisors. The nationalists have recently begun a cam paign to press the Carter Administration to apply pressure on Morocco for viola tion of human rights in the Sahara. Morocco receives arms and economic aid from the US and France, and Moroccan King Hassan recently requested an offical visit to Washington. Banned Books for Nambibia D A K A R . SEN EG A L, Mar. 24 (PNS) - A 69 foot sailing ship, the Golden Harvest, laden with 4,600 books banned by South Africa, arrived here recently to refit for continuation of its voyage to Namibia. The boqks have been requested by 8 W A P A 0 , the group recongnized by the UN j u the official representative of Namibia. That country is presently ruled by South Africa in defiance of a U N resolution. The nine-member crew, representing seven Western nations, plans to chal lenge South Africa's illegal rule over Namibia by delivering the banned books. The ship set out on its 7,000 mile voyage from Portsmouth, England, last Novem ber. The project is sponsored by Operation Namibia, a worldwide coalition of peace and religious groups supporting indepen dence for the country. They claim that South Africa has banned thousands of important books on politics and Black culture. The govern ment even banned the children’s book Black Beauty, thinking it was about Black culture. That ban was lifted only after it was explained to the government censor that the book was bout a horse. U .8. Misafauarlee te leave Rkedesta S A LISB U R Y, R O D ESIA , M ar. 24 (P N S/ A N ) - The battle between church and state here continues unabated. The US- baaed Brethren of Christ has announced it will bring home all 34 of its Rhodesian missionaries out of fear for their safety. There is widespread belief in both gov ernment and church circles that a clan destine Rhodesian military unit is re sponsible for the deaths of a dozen church workers in the last six months. The government claims nationalist guerrillas did the killing. Roman Catholic Bishop Donal Lamont, expelled from Rhodesia for his criticism of the government, added new fuel to the debate when he recently told the Landen Observer that a Rhodesian security pol iceman threatened one of his priests by saying, “You'd better watch out. One dead missionary is as good as 100 dead terrorists to us." Djibouti de-eoionization stalled D JIB O U T I. A FA R S A N D ISSAS, Mar. 24 (P N S /A N ) - Independence talks in this small French colony on the Red Sea have come to a stalemate just weeks before formal independence will be granted next mont. The current break down resulted when officals of two political parties, representing the Issas people, pressed for guaranteed ethnic representation in the national assembly. This would allow the majority Issas to effectively hold power over the minority of Afars. The territory'« current Chief Minister Abdallah Kamil, an Afar, refused to go along with the issas proposal and threat ened to leave the Paris negotiations. Groan monkey virus lading K H A R T O U M . SU D A N , Mar. 24 (PNS) - The mysterious Green Monkey Virus has apparently subsided after claiming at least 600 lives in Zaire and the Sudan last year. Two hundred of the victims were doctors and nurses who had come to the drought ridden area to provide medical assistance. The World Health Organization (W HO) announced that the virus for which there is no known cure or vaccine, has receded temporarily. But W HO scientists say they're concerned the virus may undergo I a mutation and reappear in a more dangerous form somewhere in Africa next year. The recent epidemic was believed to be a mutant strain of a virus first reported in Germany in 1967, when 30 laboratory workers died following exposure to ex perimental green monkeys shipped from Uganda. Despite worldwide research ef forts for the pat 10 years, scientists have not succeeded in determining how the virus is carried. Counterfieti OPORTO. PO R TU A G A L, M ar 24 (P N S/ A N ) - Police here recently seized almost 85 million in counterfeit Mozambican escudos, temporarily halting an inter national scheme to destabilize the Mo zambican economy. While police have not released names of those arrested, Mozambian sources belive the counterfeiters are members of the “Free Africa Organization” composed of former white settlers opposing com- munisim in Africa. According to Radio Mozambique, the counterfeit plan involved smuggling the fake currency into South Africa on Portuguese airliners. Thre it was to be sold to Mozambican miners who unknow ingly would carry it back to Mozambique. The Bank of Mozambique has issued warnings to all migrant miners, and all Mozambian currency crossing the border or coming in by mail is being seized for examination. The counterfeit scheme was apparently aimed at flooding the economy with fake money and accelerating the already seri ous inflationary pressures in Mozam bique. (Inside Africa is developed incooperation with Africa News in Durham, NC and draws on Arican radio broadcasts and correspondents' reports from key Arican capitals.) PROOF. INSULATION REALIY RffifS OFF Diane Plunkett “MY ELECTRIC BILL'S DOWN 19.5% SINCE INSULATING MY CEILING AND FLOORS? Diane Plunkett is just like most of our customers these days She wants to keep her home as comfortable as possible, but conserve as much energy— and save as much money —as she can For the Plunkett home, insulation was the answer Diane had reflective foil insulation in stalled under the floors And blow-in insulation added to the attic—enough to give her the recommended R-19 rating Result the Plunketts have stayed a lot more comfortable, even dur ing our cold snaps, and thetr home stays much cooler in summer. Plus. Diane is conserving valuable energy There s a good chance you could save, too, no matter what kind of fuel you use So call your local insulation contractor Or call us at PGE And remember the cost of insulating like everything else, is going up So. the sooner you insulate, the more m oney-and energy- you II save Just ask Diane Plunkett Conservation does pay off She s got the proof right in her pocketbook THE SOONER YOU INSULATE YOUR CEILINGS AND FLOORS,THE MORE MONEY YOU'RE GOING TO SAVE. Stretch your try EZ Dating Call Vickie 286-1970 Your voluntary efforts now to cut electric use by 10% could help avoid emergency cutbacks later To help you we have conservation ideas on everything trom electric furnace, and water heater, to lighting and -nsulalion Plu, our neweat Mhll VWicher, Guide lor both home and farm Just write u , PGE PO Bo. t 788 Portland OR 97207 or call Ihe Conaervalion Center See tor ynymwii conservation really ooes pay off' afe \
