HEAL Oregon

Partnership for Safety and Justice built its HEAL OR (Health Education for Addiction Legislation in OR) campaign to move Oregon away from a system that treats addiction as a criminal justice problem and towards a system that recognizes and treats addiction as a public health problem with solutions rooted in healthcare, not the criminal justice system.

PSJ believes that the best way to prevent addiction-driven crimes is by treating addiction as a public health problem rather than a criminal justice issue. Our HEAL Oregon Campaign works to increase awareness and funding for evidence proven programs that provide treatment, prevention, harm reduction and recovery services. These, in combination with public safety efforts, will help Oregon save lives, reunite families, prevent crime, lower recidivism and create a safer, healthier Oregon.

Program Spotlight

Oregon Commission on Public Safety Issues Report

The Oregon Commission on Public Safety sent a report of its findings to the governor last week, saying that ballot measures instead of business principles have dominated prison sentencing in Oregon and that needs to change.

PSJ Receives National Recognition

Partnership for Safety and Justice has received national recognition as a top nonprofit by Philanthropedia, a subsidiary of GuideStar. We were selected as one of 21 nonprofits in the country who is making the biggest positive impact in criminal justice reform at the local and state levels.

Check out PSJ's Event Calendar!

Want to develop your advocacy skills and get detailed updates from PSJ staff? Want to enjoy snacks and great discussions with other folks who care about making change? Come to a PSJ event!

"Sine Die" - The Legislative Session is over!

After what feels like far more than five months, the legislative session has closed. PSJ won some important victories but also had some disappointments this session. This is a quick update.

Next Steps for Oregon

Forty years of a failed war on drugs is enough. It's time to take a different approach to addiction that will ensure safer and healthier communities. PSJ concludes its look at a public health approach with next steps for Oregon - and for you - to take to change the way we address addiction.

Legal Scholar: Jim Crow Still Exists In America

On NPR's "Fresh Air," Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," details how President Reagan's war on drugs led to a mass incarceration of black males and the difficulties these felons face after serving their prison sentences.

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Obama Commutes 22-Year Sentence for Crack Cocaine Conviction

President Obama has granted a pardon to one woman who was sentenced to over two decades in prison for a crack cocaine conviction. In August, he signed the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced the disparities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine offenses (Color Lines News For Action).

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Police Officers Find That Dissent on Drug Laws May Come With a Price

More and more members of the law enforcement community are speaking out against failed drug policies, but face dismissal and retaliation (The New York Times).

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Breakthrough in U.S. Drug Sentencing Reform: A New Publication from The Sentencing Project

In 2010, Congress passed historic legislation to reduce the sentencing disparity for crack cocaine offenses. A new paper from The Sentencing Project evaluates this success and highlights the need for a reduction in incarceration and racial disparity while providing a more humane system of justice.

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How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime

In the mid-1990s, crime rates dropped in major American cities. Plenty of theories have been offered to account for the decrease in violence, but more attention should be paid to one likely culprit: the collapse of the U.S. cocaine market (The Atlantic Cities).

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