The savings on new prison construction alone would be $153.6 million dollars between 2000 and 2010.
Oregon Department of Corrections Statistics
Measure 11 Offenders as of April 1, 2005
We will continue to work with the legisture this coming session, and will need all of you who are interested, to help. Information is sent out by email and you can watch here for updates in the future.
SOME ENDORSEMENTS DURING THE CAMPAIGN WE COLLECTED FOR THE REPEAL OF MEASURE 11:
Portland City Club
Oregon Educational Association (OEA)
Oregon Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Assoc.
Oregon Public Health Assoc.
Oregon Parent Teacher Assoc. (PTA)
Oregon AFL-CIO
Oregon ACLU
Oregon State Bar
Oregon CURE
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
National Association of Council for Children
Children First of Oregon
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Parents Against Cruel & Unusual Punishment
National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
A. Philip Randolph Institute
County Commissioner Beverly Stein
Judge Loren L. Sawyer
Better People
City Commissioner Eric Sten
State Representative Diane Rosenbaum
AS WE WORK TO REPEAL OR SUBSTANTIALLY REFORM MEASURE 11, YOU CAN HELP THIS EFFORT BY CONTACTING US AND/OR SENDING A DONATION TO:
This is the prison that Oregon built
This is the boy
That lives in the prison that Oregon built.
This is the family
That grieves the boy
That lives in the prison that Oregon built.
This is the sports-music-art-less school
That tried to serve the family
That grieves the boy
That lives in the prison that Oregon built.
These are the dwindling community services
That tried to help the school
That served the family
That grieves the boy
That lives in the prison that Oregon built.
This is the Oregon budget
That uses our tax money to build prisons
That cuts school funding and community services
That tried to help the school
That served the family
That grieves the boy
That lives in the prison that Oregon built.
If you aren't on our mailing list and want to be, email us at clawler@easystreet.com
We are a group of over 5,400 members who are fighting mandatory minimum sentencing, known as Measure 11,in Oregon. If you aren't familiar with what Measure 11 is;
Oregon's Measure 11 is mandatory minimum sentencing for certain offenses and it is a
It doesn't matter if you are a first time offender or not, you are sentenced the same as repeat offenders. First time offenders, youth included, are often incarcerated with hardened, repeat offenders. They share the same cells. Some kids, as young as 16 years old, are being housed in prisons instead of juvenile facilities.
Ted Koppel of ABC news said, "There's a reason, isn't there, why we don't allow 13 and 14 year olds to sign up for jury duty, and wouldn't that reason have something to do with their level of maturity, with their judgement, with their ability not to act as adults or their inability to act as adults?"
He also said on his show entitled "Crime and Punishment",
ONE STRIKE AND YOU'RE OUT LAW!
(click on My Favorite Link, One Strike, at bottom)
"We all need to remember 95% of incarcerated people will be out someday."
Will they be coming out to live in our communities, better people, productive people? We need prevention and treatment programs to help people change their behavior, just LOCKING them up does not.
Since Measure 11 became effective April 1995 to April 2005, over 5,126 people have been incarcerated with a sentence of NOT LESS than 5 years 10 months to more than 25 years because of Oregon's mandatory minimum sentencing law. At a cost of more than $28,000 per year per inmate that is $1,960,000 for just one month of newly incarcerated people.
One Measure 11 inmate with a MINIMUM sentence of 5 years 10 months will cost Oregon taxpayers $163,310.00. Times that by 5,126 inmates!
For some crimes that is money worth spending, but for stealing two tires, or stealing $2.00 and bus pass or fighting, that is wasting our tax dollars that should be going to schools/education, instead of prisons!
Mandatory minimum sentencing means you serve every hour of every day of your sentence no matter what.
No good time, no boot camp, no early release.
As high as 67% under Measure 11 ARE FIRST TIME OFFENDERS and 35% are under 21 years of age.
Instead of warehousing people and spending our money on more prisons, we should be investing in prevention programs and alternative sentencing plans that have been proven to be far more successful with far less cost!
We are not soft on crime, we are SMART on crime. We understand some people deserve very long sentences, but with mandatory minimum sentences everyone is treated the same, the repeat offender and the first time offender. We believe each case and person is different and should have the opportunity to be viewed on an individual bases - not ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
Oregon should be known for having the best treatment facilities for alcohol and drug programs, anger management programs, etc. and very few prisons instead of just warehousing offenders. THAT'S what lowers crime! Studies have proven mandatory minimum sentencing DOES NOT WORK. It is a temporary solution(lock 'em up) to a permanent ongoing problem (crime). We have to change people in order to lower the crime rate, not just subdue them for awhile. IF PRISONS REALLY WERE A DETERRENT, WHY ARE WE BUILDING MORE? Wouldn't we have solved the problem a long time ago?
TO JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST, CONTACT:
My Favorite Links
One Strike You're Out
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