Latest prison news
Mandatory MinimumsPrison officials brace for cuts With a half-billion dollar hole in the state budget, Gov. Kulongoski is likely to announce on June 25th, among other policy changes, that it's time to overhaul Oregon's sentencing polices, especially the mandatory-minimum prison terms required by Measure 11. (Register Guard) Oregon’s corrections chief says he can’t slash spending by $51 million without compromising safety
Making the Road by Walking It ? Ten Years on the Road with PSJ Take a look back with us at our first 10 years as an organization, starting with our founding as Western Prison Project in 1999, and refresh your memory about or learn about the road we've traveled to become the Partnership for Safety and Justice, an organization with a holistic vision for reform.
Article by Caylor Roling
2010 Legislative Wrap-Up We knew the 2010 February legislative session would present some serious challenges?challenges that were being shaped as 2009?s legislative session wound down. Our work during the session focused almost exclusively on preventing repeal of the earned time provision of the 2009 Safety and Savings Act.
Article by Shannon Wight
Looking Back, Moving Forward (JM-Spring 2010)
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This issue we are Looking Back at where we've been as an organization and exploring the road ahead as we are Moving Forward.
In this issue:
15 Years of Measure 11 No Cause for Celebration Last week was the anniversary of Measure 11, but not everyone saw it as cause for celebration. There was a nationwide drop in the number of people in state prisons for the first time in almost 40 years, with a decrease in the incarceration rate seen in 27 states - but Oregon was not one of them.
April 19, 2010
15 Years of Measure 11 No Cause for Celebration
Legislators start special session Oregon lawmakers opened their election-year session this morning...One of the issues that will come before the lawmakers is an attempt by law enforcement leaders to repeal a controversial law designed to prune prison costs by shaving time off the sentences of thousands of state prison inmates.
OR Corrections Spending Ranks Second in Nation A national report says the Oregon Legislature allocates almost double the average percentage of general fund dollars to corrections. While the national average for prison spending is seven percent of a state?s general fund, Oregon?s spending is almost 13 percent. PSJ responds.
January 28, 2010
OR Corrections Spending Ranks Second in Nation
Report: Oregon prison spending No. 2 in nation Oregon is ?spending wildly? on keeping people in prison, according to critics of the state?s current rate of prison spending. They are reacting to a new report that ranks Oregon?s investment in prisons higher than almost every other state.
Report: Oregon prison spending No. 2 in nation
Posted: Jan 27, 2010 11:21 PM
One in 100: Behind Bars in 2008
One in 100: Behind Bars is a Pew Report that talks about the staggering increase of Americans in prison.
It's not a 'war on drugs' anymore The war on drugs is winding down. The director of national drug control policy , R. Gil Kerlikowske, favors prevention and treatment rather than incarceration because it's more effective and less costly. (Oregonian Editorial)
By The Oregonian Editorial BoardUnlocking America - Why and How to Reduce America?s Prison Population
A 2007 report from the Center on Media, Crime and Justice, Unlocking America - Why and How to Reduce America’s P
Federal Mandatory Minimums to be Reviewed Congress has ordered the panel that advises judges on prison terms to conduct a review of (federal) mandatory-minimum sentences, a move that could lead to a dramatic rethinking of how the U.S. incarcerates its criminals. (Wall Street Journal)
Is Measure 11 Really Working? A look at Oregon's crime rate--and the evidence that shows Measure 11 is not responsible for decreasing rates of crime.
Article by Erika Spaet
Mandatory sentences tossed The Register Guard quotes PSJ Executive Director David Rogers regarding the mandatory minimum sentences that were called into question by the Oregon Supreme Court in a ruling that affirmed two trial court decisions to impose sentences less than what is required by Measure 11.
September 25,2009
Oregon Supreme Court limits Measure 11 sentences The state Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on Thursday that the severity of a criminal penalty must be related to the gravity of the offense and that in "rare circumstances" trial court judges can impose lesser sentences than those required by Measure 11.
Oregon Supreme Court limits Measure 11 sentences
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