Oregon Commission on Public Safety Issues Report

After months of gathering testimony and information, the Public Safety Commission delivered its report on the examination of Oregon's public safety system to the governor last week.

In their accompanying press release, the Commission said, "Most Oregonians are unaware of the significant drops in crime in Oregon over the last 15 years." The report said that Oregon can revise its sentencing laws and maintain its low crime rate, but in ways that cost less.

"Although Oregon's prison expansion has contributed to our drops in crime, we need to look at re-balancing our public safety system to emphasize cost-effective ways to reduce future criminal conduct," said Commission chair, Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz.

PSJ believes the Commission rightly focused on alternatives to mandatory minimum sentences. In the almost two decades since Oregon began its experiment with mandatory minimums, they have caused our spending on prisons to explode, to the detriment of the state's ability to adequately fund other necessary and more effective public safety services, such as services for survivors of crime, substance abuse treatment and re-entry services. 

PSJ is particularly encouraged by the principles the Commission has established to guide its future work, which includes the need to expand victim services, increase judicial discretion and to conduct a review the juvenile justice system. The guiding principles of the Commission are:

--Justice Reinvestment. Increase public safety at less cost by using any savings from sentencing reforms to fund proven, cost-effective methods to reduce crime.

--Cost-Benefit Analysis. Use rational, business-like approach to identify the best return on the public’s investment in public safety services.

--Increase Judicial Discretion. Follow the constitutional principle of separation of powers to restore some authority to judges to impose appropriate sentences.

--Provide more information to judges at sentencing. Providing information on the risk of an offender to commit future criminal offenses will help judges craft sentences that appropriately balance punishment and reducing the likelihood the person will commit another crime.

--Juvenile Justice. Use the principles adopted by the Commission to review the juvenile justice system, to prevent youth offenders from continuing to commit crimes.

--Expand Crime Victim Services. Oregon should dedicate a portion of any savings from sentencing reforms to programs that help crime victims, especially sexual assault and domestic violence crimes that are not always reported to law enforcement.

The Commission also asked for authorization to proceed with a comprehensive review and possible revision of our state's felony sentencing system in 2012 and statutory recommendations to the 2013 Legislature.

Here is the Commission's full report.