Prison Program

The Prison Program continues our focus on people in prison and the conditions under which they are confined. The program advocates for increasing access to quality programs within prisons that strengthen rehabilitation, ensuring that prisoners and their families have access to information on issues directly affecting the incarcerated, and preventing the implementation of policies or legislation that further erode the constitutional and human rights of incarcerated people.

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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.

Why I Support Partnership for Safety and Justice

Long-time PSJ member Evelyn Hanks tells us why she is a member of PSJ. "PSJ is a membership organization that relies on the support of its members so they can advocate for programs and policies that create community safety without sacrificing justice. Please make a contribution today!"

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!

PSJ Challenges Cuts to Prison Programs

PSJ members and staff testified at the Ways and Means Public Safety Subcommittee's public testimony hearing for the Department of Correction's (DOC) budget, bringing with them a variety of perspectives in support of keeping funding for treatment, parenting and cognitive programs in prisons.

Colette Peters Chosen to Lead State Prisons

Colette Peters, director of the Oregon Youth Authority, has been chosen by Gov. John Kitzhaber to run the Oregon Department of Corrections. As corrections chief, Peters will run a fast-growing system that now houses 14,000 inmates in 13 prisons (Statesman Journal).

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The fastest growing group of inmates in Oregon: Women.

In the past 10 years, the number of female inmates in Oregon's prison system increased by 28 percent. This trend will only accelerate -- Measure 57, which went into effect Jan. 1, lengthens sentences for repeat property and drug offenders. The more likely transgressors: women (Willamette Week).

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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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Oregon prison food service official resigns; criminal charges considered

Prosecutors are considering criminal charges over misuse of public funds at Two Rivers Correctional Institution by a prison executive who has resigned. This is the second time in recent years the prison system has confronted corruption in its food services operation (The Oregonian).

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Too Good to be True: Private Prisons in America

A new report from The Sentencing Project details the history of private prisons in America, documents the increase in their use, and examines their purported benefits.

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