One year ago the Citizens to Reform Measure 11 2000 began to collect signatures in an effort to repeal Measure 11. One year and 100,000 signatures later, the effort has been transformed into Ballot Measure 94, which will be appearing in the November 2000 state elections.
Measure 11, which Oregon voters passed in 1994, sets mandatory sentences for some felonies, bars ealry release, leave or reduced sentences, and covers persons age 15 and up.
On Saturday, the Lane County Chapter of Citizens to Reform Measure 11 will be hosting a political rally to celebrate the successful petition drive.
“The organization was launched back when Measure 11 was put into effect,” Chapter Organizer Sharon Miller said. “It is a grassroots political group founded by Cathi Lawler with more than 4,000 active members statewide.”
The rally will take place at 3 p.m. at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza at the Lane County Courthouse. It will include Oregon State Representatives and Lane County officials, who will speak on the flaws of Measure 11 and the impact it has had on Oregon residents and communities.
“Voters seem to be waking up and realizing that the measure that originally passed in 1994 is not the measure it was touted as,” Miller said.
According to Miller, when the measure passed by two-thirds of the voters in November 1994, it was promoted as a measure that would only go after hard core criminals and repeat offenders.
“What happened was the measure forced judges to base sentencing on Measure 11 rather than allowing them to look at extenuating circumstances and past criminal history,” Miller said. “The saddest part about it is that the measure also lowered the eligibility age from 18 to 15.”
In response to the reform, Republican candidate for attorney general Kevin L. Mannix, who couldn’t be reached for comment, said in a recent article, “Measure 11 was not sold by its proponents as a measure aimed at repeat offenders. … This is a myth perpetuated by opponents to the Measure 11.
“The actual measure itself, as well as its ballot title and the three arguments in the voter’s pamphlet in favor of Measure 11, focused on incapacitation of serious criminals, deterrence of others by showing that crime does not pay — predictably of tough sentences — and comparable sentences throughout the state.”
Sixty percent of persons convicted under Measure 11 are first time offenders, according to Sharon Miller.
“This means that those who were convicted made one mistake,” Miller said. “With this measure, the courts’ hands are tied. They must sentence the individuals under the measure.”
Sixty percent of the first time offenders are between the ages of 18 and 21 years of age, according to Sharon MillerCitizens to Reform Measure 11 2000 has also looked at the economic and financial aspects of this measure.
“It costs $48,000 a year to house and feed one juvenile in prison,” Miller said. “It costs $28,000 to house and feed an adult.”
In a statement made by Gov. John Kitzhaber in 1996 regarding the measure, he mentioned the fact that he would have liked to spend more money on education, but instead the money would be spent on building more prisons.
“We are not saying that the criminals don’t deserve prison,” Miller said. “We are just saying: Let’s be fair and impartial to these youngsters who need programs and rehabilitation. They don’t need to be mixed in with the inmate population.”
Lane County Sponsors Director Ron Chase is scheduled to speak at the rally and will focus on economic and treatment aspects of this measure.
“Oregon used to have one of the best sex-offender programs, but because of this measure it has been cut to help pay for the outside costs of providing prisons,” Chase said.
Chases’ experiences in running a half-way house for people just coming out of prison have shown him that “we all have a vested interest in these people getting treatment.”
Representatives from Citizens to Reform Measure 11 2000 say they are looking forward to the outcome of the elections.
“We are very confident it will be a good race,” Miller said.
Others still firmly support Measure 11 and attribute Oregon’s decrease in crime to it.
“Person crime and violent crime have gone down, both in absolute numbers and in terms of proportion to population since the implementation of Measure 11,” Mannix wrote.
Citizen group hopes to battle crime measure
Daily Emerald
July 19, 2000
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