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| Vote handcuffs corrections programs |
| By The Oregonian |
| Published: 02/09/2004 |
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Voters' defeat of the Measure 30 tax increase will mean less money for community corrections programs and it may mean more mentally ill people in state prisons, said Max Williams, the new director of the Department of Corrections. Williams, 40, a former Tigard legislator, headed the House judiciary committee that helped set policies and budgets for the Corrections Department until Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed him in December. Voters' rejection of the tax package hammered out by the 2003 Legislature will require his department to cut $17 million shared with counties to run programs that keep offenders with short sentences in local jails, Williams said. The programs enable counties to design drug treatment and other programs aimed at reducing the likelihood offenders will commit crimes after completing their sentences. Because all budgets are tight, Williams said, a cut may force some counties to pull out of the cooperative program. If that happens, his department will have to take over rehabilitation programs in those counties, he said. The reduction in money for a variety of state programs may have cascading effects on all programs affecting corrections, Williams said, including drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services. About 22 percent of more than 12,000 people in Oregon prisons have been diagnosed with severe to extreme mental illness, Williams said. Yet, no prison has enough space to care for mentally ill inmates, he said. However, three task forces are working on issues related to mental health and public safety, he said. |
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