Page 2
January 31, 2018
Measure 11 Impacts on Youth Severe
Civil rights
panel calls for
changes
Oregon incarcerates young
people and transfers them to adult
court at a higher rate than almost
any other state, according to a re-
port released Tuesday by the Or-
egon Council on Civil Rights. In
fact, Oregon youth face incarcera-
tion rates significantly higher than
in Texas and Louisiana.
The report “Youth and Measure
11: Impacts of Mandatory Mini-
mums,” includes specific reform
recommendations for a more ef-
fective, fair and science-informed
approach to youth involvement in
the justice system.
A key finding from the study
shows that Oregon’s harsh sen-
tences haven’t kept pace with
modern brain science. Although
research suggests that the brain
doesn’t fully develop until a per-
son’s 20’s, Oregon’s rigid man-
datory minimum sentences leave
little room for a young person’s
capacity to change.
Young people of color are dis-
proportionately harmed by Ore-
gon’s criminal justice system: In
2012, black youth were 26 times
more likely to be indicted of a
Measure 11 crime than their white
counterparts.
In addition, the costs of Ore-
gon’s system are high. The state
can spend as much as nearly
$100,000 a year per child to in-
carcerate Measure 11 offenders.
The impact on young people can
sometimes feel like a de facto life
sentence, with lack of access to
stable housing, higher education
and employment due to barriers
that impact their lives long after
they have served their term.
“Youth charged under Measure
11 – even those who do not receive
an adult sentence — face lifetime
Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia
barriers to education and employ-
ment,” said Labor Commissioner
Brad Avakian. “Oregon’s juvenile
justice system brings high costs
and poor outcomes. We should
modernize our approach to better
prepare young people to have a
meaningful life after release.”
Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia, a
The
physician, scholar and executive
director of the OHSU Avel Gordly
Center for Healing, stressed that
while our understanding of brain
science has changed, Oregon poli-
cies have not.
“Brain science tells us that for
youth, the brain is still ‘under con-
struction’,” said Dr. Alisha More-
land-Capuia. “Young people lack
the skills to effectively navigate
an adult criminal justice system
that disrupts the development
process at a critical stage. Oregon
should join the many other states
in recognizing the role of brain
development in criminal justice
reform.”
The Oregon Council on Civil
Rights’ policy recommendations
include making prosecution data,
such as demographic data of youth
referred to prosecutors’ offices,
publicly available to support evi-
dence-based policymaking.
Youth charged under Measure
11 should not be automatically
moved to adult court, but instead
a judge should weigh the unique
facts of the case before removing
a young person from the juvenile
system, the panel concluded.
Other suggestions include
granting youth a chance for a sec-
ond-look hearing after serving 50
percent of a sentence and boosting
investment in anti-poverty safety
net programs that promote family
stability and decrease future in-
volvement with the criminal jus-
tice system.
“Oregon can do more to im-
prove public safety outcomes
while giving young people a
chance to thrive,” said Roberta
Phillip-Robbins, chair of the Or-
egon Council on Civil Rights.
“We hope to be a force to adjust
our misguided approach to youth
and Measure 11. It’s clear that we
can make better use of taxpayer
resources while improving public
safety and reducing recidivism in
communities around the state.”
Week in Review
to get out and fight the flames from the outside.
Amtrak Engineer Missed Post
Federal investigators say the engineer at the controls
of the Amtrak passenger train that derailed south of
Seattle needed to slow down before taking a curve
over I-5, but missed posted warning signs. The Na-
tional Transportation Safety Board released the in-
vestigation update Thursday, more than a month af-
ter the Dec. 18 derailment that left three people dead
and dozens injured.
Skipping State of the Union
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Apology to Black Journalist
Housing and Urban Development official with
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ing a member of the press “Miss Piggy” on Twitter
last week. The now-deleted tweet from Lynne Pat-
ton, a HUD administrator, was aimed at April Ryan,
the black Washington bureau chief of American
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Amid the concerns of more oil trains and the poten-
tial for spills, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee rejected
a permit for a massive oil-by-rail terminal proposed
at the port of Vancouver Monday. Inslee said he
agreed with the recommendation of a state energy
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A neighborhood generated discussion on changing
the name of Jefferson High School drew some pas-
sionate arguments during a meeting Monday night
at the North Portland Library. Jefferson graduate
Clifford Walker, a local black historian and activist,
objected to a public high named after a former slave
owner. Others warned about a gentrified communi-
ty erasing Jefferson’s current history and said they
would prefer if neighbors would focus on support-
ing and improving the school.
Oil Terminal Permit Rejected
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Jeff Name Change Debate
Earl Blumenauer opted to skip President Trump’s
first State of the Union address Tuesday night, but
sent Portland “Dreamer” Aldo Solano instead, a lo-
cal resident who stands to lose his legal status if
Congress doesn’t’ negotiate an extension or perma-
nent fix to the Obama administration’s Deferred Ac-
tion for Childhood Arrivals program, which expires
March 8.
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A fire destroyed several business housed inside the
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night. People working in a call center noticed smoke
coming from an elevator shaft and called 9-1-1. By
the time fire fighters got there, the fire had already
weakened the building so much hat fire fighters had
Cleveland Drops Logo
The Cleveland Indians are finally parting ways with
their Chief Wahoo logo. In an announcement from
the league office on Monday, beginning in 2019,
the team’s jerseys will no longer feature the Native
American caricature, which has been widely charac-
terized as offensive and racist.