Oregonian Op Ed - Criminology consistent in questioning lockups

, Sunday, May 06, 2007

By David Rogers

Ed Walsh and The Oregonian got it right ("Prison costs shackling Oregon," April 22) about the implications of our state's enormous prison buildup. When the dust settles on the Legislature, there will be budgetary winners and losers.

The way things shape up now, prisons are likely winners, while community colleges and universities -- along with other state services -- are losers.

The University of Oregon president correctly connects the prison buildup and our disinvestment in higher education. If we continue, we essentially say our future lies not in lecture halls but behind prison walls; not in the classroom but the courtroom.

The tripling of the Department of Corrections budget in the past 10 years might be easier to swallow if that actually made us safer. It doesn't.

Criminologists around the country consistently question the relationship between incarceration and crime. The Sentencing Project, a national research organization that works for a fair, effective criminal justice system, reported in the 1990s that states with lower than average incarceration rates actually experienced larger decreases in crime than states heavily focused on locking people up.

More prisons do not equal lower crime.

This is especially true now that we've almost doubled the number of people in prison in Oregon in the past 10 years. As the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission found, we have hit the point of diminishing returns with our prison system. Yet tough-on-crime proponents are trying to get a measure on the 2008 ballot to justify building even more prisons. It's time to stop the madness.

The greatest service provided by The Oregonian's article on prison costs could be that it raises an important issue that too often we are afraid to talk about. Politicians fearful of appearing to be soft on crime are reluctant to broach the issue. Maybe now we can have a long overdue conversation on what makes us safe versus what makes us feel safe.

Maybe now we can talk in terms of research and data instead of defaulting to sound bites and scare tactics.

Oregon needs to be smart about its approach to public safety. It is disturbing that in the past 10 years Oregon has spent more than a billion dollars to build four new prisons and expand five while cutting funds to programs designed to reduce recidivism and future crime.

Because 98 percent of all state inmates will be released at some point, I want my money focused on preparing them to lead productive lives.

The Oregonian has started an important conversation. Our elected representatives should continue it.