News
CAGED: Solitary confinement – an inmate’s perspective
Shane Staggs wrote about his experience in solitary confinement for Street Roots while he was sitting in the Disciplinary Segregation Unit at Oregon State Penitentiary in March. (His letter has been edited for clarity; the underlines are Staggs'.) This article is part of a Street Roots report on inmates' experience with solitary confinement. A Solitary…
Our fading American Dream and what we can do about it
A recent study published in Science Magazine, “The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility Since 1940,” makes clear that the workings of the contemporary U.S. economy have largely undermined one of the core tenets of the so-called American Dream – that children can expect to enjoy a higher standard of living than their…
CAGED: Inmates raise red flags about Oregon’s solitary confinement
Solitary confinement in Oregon’s prison system is “overused, overly long and characterized by isolating conditions.” That’s the conclusion of the Vera Institute of Justice’s October 2016 assessment of the Oregon Department of Corrections’ use of confinement, often called segregation. More than 150 years of research has shown the combination of boredom, isolation and sensory deprivation…
Director’s Desk: Inmate labor is ‘insanity’ when worthy programs can do more
Street Roots has advocated for years for the city to expand the Clean and Safe program, which gives people who formerly experienced homelessness job opportunities to help clean up the city. There are many reasons people experiencing homelessness face the backlash of the public, none more so than the build-up of trash. Israel Bayer is…
Street Roots vendor writing: The streets need help, before it’s too late
The housing situation is a serious problem in Portland, so many low-income and no-income people are homeless. Something must be done to address this tragedy. Sure, there are shelters. But there aren’t enough to house everyone. And they are only a temporary solution to the problem of homelessness. One can only stay at a shelter…
CAGED: Reforms to solitary confinement in Oregon uncertain
Two years ago, Oregon Department of Corrections partnered with the Vera Institute of Justice to examine its use of solitary confinement, or segregated housing, throughout its 14 state correctional institutions. The first phase was an assessment of solitary confinement use across Oregon’s prisons. The result was an October 2016 report finding six of the state…
CAGED: Little recourse for Oregon prisoners
The 1996 Prison Litigation Reform Act greatly limited a prisoner’s ability to use the legal system. It was intended to limit frivolous lawsuits, as prisoner court filings were increasing. However, this increase was not commensurate with the increase in prison population. The rate was actually lower than in the previous decade, according to data compiled…
Opinion
Editorial cartoon: Aug. 25, 2017
Portland native Elizabeth Considine is the creator of Street Roots' editorial cartoon, Sheeptoast. Want to see more Sheeptoast cartoons? VIEW OUR GALLERY
Director’s Desk: Inmate labor is ‘insanity’ when worthy programs can do more
Street Roots has advocated for years for the city to expand the Clean and Safe program, which gives people who formerly experienced homelessness job opportunities to help clean up the city. There are many reasons people experiencing homelessness face the backlash of the public, none more so than the build-up of trash. Israel Bayer is…
Housing
Director’s Desk: Inmate labor is ‘insanity’ when worthy programs can do more
Street Roots has advocated for years for the city to expand the Clean and Safe program, which gives people who formerly experienced homelessness job opportunities to help clean up the city. There are many reasons people experiencing homelessness face the backlash of the public, none more so than the build-up of trash. Israel Bayer is…
Street Roots vendor writing: The streets need help, before it’s too late
The housing situation is a serious problem in Portland, so many low-income and no-income people are homeless. Something must be done to address this tragedy. Sure, there are shelters. But there aren’t enough to house everyone. And they are only a temporary solution to the problem of homelessness. One can only stay at a shelter…
Culture
Why you’re anxious, angry, depressed – and how to fix it
Faith G. Harper is an experienced mental health provider. She is a trauma-informed therapist; a licensed clinician with certificates in sexology, integrated life coaching and clinical nutrition; a board supervisor; and a teacher. Harper’s goal is to cram what she has learned from decades of being in the field into a digestible, helpful guide for…
Street Roots poets share their work aloud
Street Roots poets held a reading of their original work Aug. 18 as part of the Old Town Chinatown Community Association’s Art in the Open festival. The hourlong reading featured 10 Street Roots vendors. Many of their poems had previously been published in Street Roots’ weekly newspaper or biannual zines. “This was my first-ever poetry…
