Governor’s Reset Proposal Targets Measure 11

Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance and Crime Victim’s United Fight Proposal

By:  Howard Rodstein, Crime Victims United Board Member and Senior Policy Analyst

In his June 25th speech1on "resetting" state government, Governor Kulongoski painted a misleading picture of criminal justice in Oregon.  The picture comes from the playbook of criminal advocacy groups under the "smart on crime" slogan.

 “Smart on crime” boils down to slashing sentences for large numbers of violent criminals, serious sex offenders, and repeat-repeat-repeat drug and property criminals while promising to keep crime under control through "proven" treatment programs.  This is a hard sell to a skeptical public, but they are counting on a clever marketing plan:

             • Exaggerate the degree to which Oregon relies on incarceration

             • Dismiss or minimize the successes of the tough approach to crime

             • Overstate the effectiveness of treatment programs

             • Convince voters that more criminals on the streets will not lead to more crime [ Read More ]