May 21. 1986. Portland Observer. Page 5
Reverse Priorities, Says
Crime Expert
Av H'<h la lh iu n
Confronting crime by building more
prisons and (ails is like mopping around
an overflowing bathtub, according to
criminologist F.lliot Currie
"W ith o u t doing something to turn
o ff the faucet, you're going to have to
keep mopping,’ * Currie said
C urrie, author o l C r>n /» t>» tn « g
C runr Tn -hm rim n C htillrm e. and
visiting scholar at the Center for the
Study ol l aw and Society at the Cm
versily ot Cahlornia at Berkeley, ad
pressed an audience ol HX) at the Port
land Building Friday lie was pined by
Ron Herndon, co chair ol the Black
United Front
Countering the traditional jail and
venlcixiiig approach. Currie outlined a
progressive crime lighting agenda
more police on the beat, intensively
vupeivised probation, arresting wife
heater», parenting classes, early child
hood education, and model community
programs Io rebuild neighborhoods
"W e . as progressives.
he said,
need to come up with "vpectlic, cost
effective ideas
Part ol the tail space problem could
he solved, for example, lie said, by
keeping people out ot tail who don't
need to be there In California. Vi'»
35*3 ol the jail population is made up ol
mentally disabled people, the home
less, and problem drinkers, according
to Cutne
“ I liese people need to have some
thing happen to them, but it doesn't
need to happen in ja il." I k - said
Criminal tustice priorities need to he
reversed
pul more police out on loot
in neighborhoods instead ot pouring
money into sentencing and tails. Cutne
said Having a cop on the beat makes
residents feel that they are reclaiming
then neighborhoods from "th e pimps
and drug pushers," he said
Also, Currie said, the police could
spend more time on the street it they
didn't have so much paperwork The
paperwork is often simple and could be
done by high school students, creating
jobs in the process, he said
Probation is another area where the
system breaks down because officers
are overworked Currie called lor smal
ler caseloads for probation officers who
would work intensively with former
prison initiates to make sure they gel the
jobs, medical help and psychological
treatment they need in order to lead
useful lives
A comprehensive approach Io crime,
accordint to Currie, must reach outside
the criminal justice sy stem and into the
home Parents need classes to learn
how Io avoid passing on negative trails
to their children, he said, and early
childhood education programs like
Head Start need continued sup|ior1
" I l you put $ '(XX) into early child
hood education, then according to one
study I read, it pays o il seven to one,"
in keeping kids out o f crime and o il
six'ial welfare programs, he said
Herndon, director of a Head Start
program, said Head Start prepares
young children for success in schixil
and helps steer them away from a life on
the streets ■’ Thirteen years after
they’ ve had the experience, they still do
belter than those who haven’ t , ”
Herndon said
Currie descried a model program ui
Washington. D C where an integrated
approach to crinx* lighting and com
mumty building is having a "rip p le el
lect” ill improving the quality ol life
11 k program combines street pal
nils, a housing weatherization and
rehab protect providing jobs lor youth,
and a teen pregnancy center While
small and unable to solve all o f the
city's crime problems, the program
selves as a model for future programs
once "the crazy priorities ol our point
cal culture' are reversed, he said
’ It costs soiik money to do this.”
Currie said about the progressive prog
rams and ideas on his agenda
But in
every case, they pay o il
Flliot Currie answers questions during a discussion on crime while Sherri
Sylvester and Ron Herndon listen.
Photo to Richard .I
Iti own
IVIeiTinr lakklav
Oregon Grown
Fresh Fryers
Plump Juicy
Whole Fryers
Perfect For
Your Holiday
Barbecue!
Lb.
Save Up To 50* Lb., No Limit!
(All N atural, No A dditives)
PRO Offers
Tax Services
to Public
Lean Ground
12-Pack Coca Cola
5-Lb. Pkg
Or Larget
Coke. C le tk ic C h e ti» Co»»
Diet Coke C e tte in e Free Coke
Or S p o le 12 O r Cen» Piu» D ep In Ore
/»v J rrr\ ( iiin ir r
This country’ s tax system is confus
ing to many At o ik time or another,
almost every taxpayer runs into a seein
ingly intractable problem with the In
temal Revenue Service (IRS)
Problems such as overdue relunds,
lost tax returns or unfair treatment by an
IRS agent are bound to occur, espe
d a lly when o ik considers that last vear
the IRS processed roughly 105 m illion
tax returns
I odeal with these problems, the IRS
has appointed Problem Resolution O f
ficers (PRO) Ihcse dedicated public
servants help individuals who are hav
ing problems with their taxes
PRO offices are in every IRS District
Office and Service Center In order to
receive assistance from a problem re
solution officer, a citizen must have
first gone through normal IRS chan
nels Once this has occurred. the PRO
w ill step in.
PR() officers are required by law to
get back to the person w ithin five days
after seeking assistance
PRO handles only administrative
problems; they can't change a person's
tax liability or interpret the nation's tax
law A PRO officer w ill handle your
case until it has been resolved
Van (amp*
QSi
CLASS REUNION
The Cleveland High School Class of
19K I w ill hold its five year reunion on
Saturday. August 23 at Westmoreland
Park. Area B, from noon until 6 p m
For lurthcr information, class members
should write to P O Box 02573, Port
Sweet Seedless
Perlette Grapes
Van Camp's
Pork & Beans
Crest, Pump
Toothpaste
First of the
season, from
California's
Cocachella
Valley!
Save Up To 50* Lb., No Limit!
What’ s
a BBQ
without
Pork &
Beans,
Save Up To 60* On 3, No Limit!
Reg., Mint,
Gel Or
Tartar
Control,
d !
Each
4.6-Oz. Pump!
Save Up To 42* Ea., No Limit!
$125
I
land Oregon. 97202
I
ft
- i- ( -
. *
•
•
»
r
«
t*
>1
e
V4 * ./
* . t
*
’ J
I