Driven by the economic crisis, states all across the country are re-thinking their tough-on-crime policies. Last year Oregon’s Governor Kitzhaber formed a Commission on Public Safety to take a strategic look at Oregon’s sentencing laws and to find a more cost effective way to ensure the public’s safety. In December 2011, the OREGON PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT was released. After almost 20 years of Measure 11, Oregon’s mandatory minimum sentencing law, there is now a wealth of information that shows that these tough-on-crime policies are not the most effective approach to maintaining public safety.
Karen James speaks to Partnership for Safety & Justice’ Executive Director David Rogers & with Kerry Naughton, the director of PSJ’s Crime Survivors Program. They discuss this Commission and other ideas for changes in the Oregon Public Safety Report.
David & Kerry also talk about a paper they wrote that has been receiving national attention entitled MOVING BEYOND SIDES. The paper reveals which groups have been influential in passage of Oregon’s tough-on-crime policies. They challenge these groups to find common ground with reform advocates to work for policies of prevention instead of punishment.
OREGON PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
http://www.safetyandjustice.org/files/CPS_report_to_Governor_12_30_11.pdf
MOVING BEYOND SIDES: The Power and Potential of a New Public Safety Policy Paradigm
http://www.safetyandjustice.org/files/Moving%20Beyond%20Sides%20Report%20Final.pdf
- KBOO