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| Alternatives to prison recommended |
| By statesmanjournal.com - Peter Wong |
| Published: 12/30/2011 |
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A blue-ribbon panel will recommend that Oregon spend more on alternative programs to rein in the growing costs of state prisons. The panel also will ask Gov. John Kitzhaber to extend its life for six more months to tackle the politically sensitive topic of changes in criminal sentencing, including mandatory prison terms that voters have approved for some violent crimes. Members of the Commission on Public Safety spent nearly two hours discussing their final report in a conference call Thursday. Kitzhaber was scheduled to receive the report today — he extended its original deadline by 15 days — and is expected to release the text next week. The commission was led by Chief Justice Paul De Muniz. The other members were four lawmakers, former Gov. Ted Kulongoski — who proposed the idea of a commission before he left office a year ago — and Salem auto dealer Dick Withnell. If nothing is done, an October forecast projects that Oregon will add 2,000 inmates to the 14,000 already housed by the Department of Corrections by January 2020. Although some previous forecasts have been high, a report commissioned by Kulongoski in 2010 called for steps to rein in those potential added costs. "We can't control crime just by slowing the growth in corrections," said Craig Prins, who as executive director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission is helping the panel draft its report. "There has to be investment in better programs at the local level." Read More. |
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