A Message from David Rogers, PSJ Executive Director
November 4, 2008 - 11:08am
This November we are facing the toughest challenge to progressive criminal justice reform in Oregon since 1994. Kevin Mannix, the author of Measure 11 and five-time loser in election bids for Governor, Attorney General, and Congress, paid signature gathers to collect enough signatures to put Measure 61 on the ballot. If this measure passes, it would create a set of new mandatory minimum sentences for a range of drug and property related crimes which would be devastating for Oregon. We did not ask for this fight, but we must rise to challenge and do everything in our ability to defeat it. This is no small task, but we feel hopeful about the outcome. The stakes are huge. Ultimately, we believe that if we can beat M61 on Election Day, we will be sending a message to legislators that Oregonians reject mandatory minimum sentences and want a smarter approach to public safety.
We are working hard to defeat M61. To keep you up-to-date on the campaign, we created the Ballot Measure Center to provide all the information, analysis and discussion necessary to help you and other Oregon voters understand the complex circumstances surrounding the issues on the ballot this November. In the Ballot Measure Center, you’ll find a wide range of information to help you better understand the crime related ballot measures, their projected impacts, and the politics behind them. You will also find positions that PSJ is taking on other ballot measures, along with plenty of information on how to support our election-related organizing efforts.
As part of the strategy to defeat M61, we are supporting Measure 57. Essentially, M57 is built on the notion that first-time property crime offenders should have access to community-based treatment and diversion programs like drug court. Second time offenders would do prison time but also have access to drug treatment and earned time, while the proposed alternative is tougher on people with multiple convictions. While Measure 57 has some un-needed sentencing enhancements, it does reject mandatory minimums and emphasizes the need to expand access to drug treatment as a critical approach to public safety. Measure 57 also allocates $40 million to drug and alcohol treatment programs.
There is no way to sugarcoat M57. It is not the approach we would have taken. Yet, its potential human and fiscal impact is not nearly as bad as M61. This is an election where we have to make a difficult choice. Extensive polling indicates that M61 has a significant amount of support, and the best chance of defeating M61 (the Mannix measure) is to support M57. If Measure 57 gets more votes, it will become law and Measure 61 will fail. Although our hearts and politics make us want to vote no on both, we are encouraging people to vote YES on Measure 57 and NO on Measure 61. Sadly, elections too often provide us with unsatisfying choices, and these measures continue that trend this November. We will be voting based on realism and not idealism. The devastation that Measure 61 will reap on Oregon must be avoided.
We are working hard to defeat M61. To keep you up-to-date on the campaign, we created the Ballot Measure Center to provide all the information, analysis and discussion necessary to help you and other Oregon voters understand the complex circumstances surrounding the issues on the ballot this November. In the Ballot Measure Center, you’ll find a wide range of information to help you better understand the crime related ballot measures, their projected impacts, and the politics behind them. You will also find positions that PSJ is taking on other ballot measures, along with plenty of information on how to support our election-related organizing efforts.
As part of the strategy to defeat M61, we are supporting Measure 57. Essentially, M57 is built on the notion that first-time property crime offenders should have access to community-based treatment and diversion programs like drug court. Second time offenders would do prison time but also have access to drug treatment and earned time, while the proposed alternative is tougher on people with multiple convictions. While Measure 57 has some un-needed sentencing enhancements, it does reject mandatory minimums and emphasizes the need to expand access to drug treatment as a critical approach to public safety. Measure 57 also allocates $40 million to drug and alcohol treatment programs.
There is no way to sugarcoat M57. It is not the approach we would have taken. Yet, its potential human and fiscal impact is not nearly as bad as M61. This is an election where we have to make a difficult choice. Extensive polling indicates that M61 has a significant amount of support, and the best chance of defeating M61 (the Mannix measure) is to support M57. If Measure 57 gets more votes, it will become law and Measure 61 will fail. Although our hearts and politics make us want to vote no on both, we are encouraging people to vote YES on Measure 57 and NO on Measure 61. Sadly, elections too often provide us with unsatisfying choices, and these measures continue that trend this November. We will be voting based on realism and not idealism. The devastation that Measure 61 will reap on Oregon must be avoided.
