The racism inherent in our criminal justice system is finally being widely recognized — for centuries, Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other people of color have been denied true public safety.
But this is only one of the crises that Oregon faces today. We are also dealing with the coronavirus, which has found its way into eight of our 14 prisons, thrusting a third of incarcerated Oregonians into quarantines that feel like solitary confinement, as Street Roots reported in April.
And the pandemic has also triggered a massive $4.4 billion state budget shortfall, leaving lawmakers scrambling to preserve education, housing, Medicaid and other vital services.
All three emergencies can be addressed with the same approach that Oregon has been successfully using since 2013: We must divest from prisons and invest in communities.
We can no longer squander scarce dollars on long prison sentences that don’t work.
STREET ROOTS NEWS: Does coronavirus make the case for jail reform?
To advance safety, equity and healing, Oregon must:
1. Reduce the spread of COVID-19 in prisons by safely transitioning people out early
2. Close two prisons
3. Pass sentencing reforms that reduce mass incarceration
4. Invest in communities of color, rural communities and local public safety solutions
Substantial early transitions from prison can preserve public safety while alleviating COVID-19 spread.
Early release of qualifying prisoners
Social distancing is the most basic coronavirus prevention strategy, but it’s nearly impossible in prisons. Despite Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s incremental releases, people who are held in, work in, or live around prisons remain at serious risk.
Oregon officials said that safeguarding against COVID-19 means lowering the prison population from 14,500 to 8,700, as reported by The Oregonian. This 40% reduction would be safe, reasonable and achievable; however, our communities would first need to strengthen community support for crime survivors as well as for services that help system-involved people be successful. That infrastructure takes time to create.
In the meantime, we can realistically reduce the prison population significantly over the next six months by increasing the number of early transitions for people convicted of drug and property crimes or who are determined to be safe to transition and have served at least 50% of their sentence.
This approach would save taxpayer dollars, reduce coronavirus spread and stop incarcerating people who don’t pose a significant safety risk.
Close two Oregon prisons
Oregon’s sprawling and expensive network of 14 prisons stands in the way of aligning our state’s budget with our state’s values.
Smaller prisons should be prioritized for closure, because that would free up more dollars and still keep the coronavirus risk down in the remaining 12 prisons.
We should also focus on closing rural prisons for public safety reasons. They have fewer programs and culturally specific services that foster rehabilitation and reduce crime. Also, people housed in rural prisons disproportionately come from the state’s most populous areas, and the increased distance from home dramatically reduces family connections and hinders post-incarceration success.
STREET ROOTS NEWS: Gov. Brown wanted to close 2 prisons. Legislature said no.
Opponents of closing rural prisons argue that the local communities would suffer profound economic loss, but we can’t tear some families apart to support the incomes of others. Surely our state can create a prison closure plan with economic solutions that don’t rely on imprisoning people who are more wounded than helped by harsh prison sentences.
Reform prison sentences in the 2021 legislative session
Oregon disproportionately polices, charges and incarcerates Black Oregonians to the point where one out of every 21 Black Oregonians is held in prison, according to 2016 data from The Sentencing Project. This, as The Oregonian reported, places Oregon seventh in the nation for our rate of incarcerating African Americans. This is not public safety.
But Oregon has the experience we need to safely and equitably reform prison sentences. Since 2013, Oregon has kept two prisons closed, is averting $527 million in prison spending, and is projected to reduce our prison use by 15% over 10 years.
It’s a meaningful start, but we must continue reforming sentencing laws and systemically divesting from this expensive, ineffective and racist system.
Invest in communities of color, rural communities and local public safety services
Shrinking prisons isn’t enough to transform our response to crime. We must also invest averted prison costs into communities that have historically been underserved.
Crime survivors, particularly survivors of color, continue to have little access to culturally specific services. These limitations add greater barriers to getting help for trauma, which often results in higher rates of victimization and criminalization.
To equitably support communities that have been most harmed and least helped by our public safety system, we must invest equitably in local, culturally specific programs. We can deliver prevention, treatment and supportive services that our communities need to be safe, strong and successful.
Join the fight
Now is the time for Oregon to advance equity and healing. These proposals are bold, but we can transform our system together.
Add your name at safetyandjustice.org/petition. We must divest from prisons, invest in communities and transform our response to crime and violence.