News Oct 15, 2014 at 4:00 pm

Oregon Spends Millions on Innovative Court Programs. Are We Sure They Work?

Comments

1
It would be much cheaper to simply have a State shrink, like the one who just passed away, write her a prescription for her chemicals of choice, and charge it to her Federal Medicaid account.
2
The real question is whether these alternative programs are being distributed EQUITABLY. These programs require the ability to pay for and get transit to treatment programs and counseling. If a person does not have ability to pay restitution and for their own rehabilitation they can't finish the program. Doesn't sound fair to at all.

Also the requirements for those that qualify or don't qualify for START is partially based upon the "Relative Risk for a Felony Reconviction or Arrest for a Property Crime on the Public Safety Checklist for Oregon Assessment", basically a formula that some bureaucrat developed that includes factors like age, gender (really gender?), and age of first ARREST, even though in the eyes of the law an arrest is not an assumption of guilt, it can be used against you in consideration for this program which disproportionately disenfranchises those likely to be profiled and wrongfully arrested at a young age aka young males of color.
3
One other note on the "Relative Risk for a Felony Reconviction or Arrest for a Property Crime on the Public Safety Checklist" is that it notes that the formula used is the same used in Missouri and Virginia for sentencing guidelines. That's a real encouraging thing to mention. All this information can be found on the State of Oregon run website: https://risktool.ocjc.state.or.us/psc/. We can also check out Missouri's encarceration rate at: http://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/MO.ht…. Again not a state we want to be on par with as far as sentencing rates goes.

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