Cost of Incarceration/Budget

Domestic Violence Advocate Says Public Safety System Out of Balance

December 8, 2011

More money should be spent on crime prevention and intervention, and less on locking people up. PSJ and director of Portland Women's Crisis Line agree that too much money is being spent on corrections, leaving victims services and other smart public safety solutions underfunded.

Some "Smart on Crime" Reforms that are Working

December 7, 2011

Necessitated by harsh economic times and encouraged by declines in crime rates, a number of states have made significant strides in reducing the number of people in prisons and jails and cutting spending while maintaining public safety.

Article by Denise Welch

A year to look at sentencing

December 3, 2011

Saying that crime is down, money is scarce and corrections policies have evolved, the Oregonian calls for the Governor's Public Safety Commission to spend 2012 crafting a new sentencing plan for Oregon.

by The Oregonian Editorial Board

Good News / Success Stories (JM-Winter 2011)

December 2, 2011

In this issue we report on success - the success of individuals, organizations and governments who have implemented reforms and changes that are smart on crime.

In this issue:

Max Williams leaving Oregon Corrections Department

November 16, 2011

Max Williams will resign as director of the state prison system at the end of the year to become president of the Oregon Community Foundation, the state’s largest foundation.

Falling Crime, Teeming Prisons

October 30, 2011

Senators should support a bipartisan commission to review the nation’s troubled criminal justice system and offer recommendations for reform. Reducing sentences for nonviolent offenses and ending mandatory minimum sentences could help end the devastating cycle of incarceration.

A new approach to fighting crime

October 22, 2011

The Medford Mail Tribune editorial board says Oregon should pay attention to Texas and spend more on substance abuse and mental health treatment, beef up parole and probation supervision and spend less on prisons — a lot less.

'We have to get smart on crime'

October 20, 2011

Paul DeMuniz, Oregon's Supreme Court Chief Justice and Chair of the Governor's Commission on Public Safety, says that Oregon has "to get away from the idea of soft on crime, tough on crime...We have to get smart on crime." (Mail Tribune)

Head Off the Prison Boom

October 14, 2011

There must be a better way! The Governor's Commission on Public Safety learned that over the next decade Oregon's prison population is anticipated to balloon by 2,000 additional inmates. Avoiding yet another prison boom ought to be the explicit goal of the Commission.

Kitzhaber criticizes 'expensive' sentencing laws

October 1, 2011

At the first meeting of the Public Safety Commission, Gov. John Kitzhaber said Oregon leaders need to have "the wisdom and the courage" to look at changing prison practices, including reducing time behind bars for some crimes. (KATU)