The Official Mandatory Minimums Ballot Measure Numbers Have Been Assigned August 5, 2008
Posted by FairSentencing in : Current News , trackbackHERE’S A VERY IMPORTANT POST FROM THE PARTNERSHIP FOR SAFETY AND JUSTICE. THE POLITICAL REALITIES WILL PUT OREGONIANS IN A DIFFICULT POSITION THIS ELECTION. IT’S VITAL TO GET INFORMED, THEN SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS, NEIGHBORS, ETC. LET’S MAKE OUR VOTES COUNT AND OUR VOICES HEARD.
Official Ballot Measure Numbers Assigned
The election is only three months away!
Measure Numbers Have Been Assigned
The Secretary of State assigned numbers to the initiatives we will be voting on this November. Here are the two measures most crucial to PSJ members, along a few critical points, followed by our voting recommendations:
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Measure 61
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Measure 57
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Mannix’s Mandatory Minimum Madness Measure
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A More Balanced Alternative
Crime Measure
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· Creates new mandatory minimum sentences for drug and property crimes
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· Creates longer sentences for some drug and property crimes
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· Forces judges into one-size-fits-all sentencing, including first-time offenders
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· Judges can still take into account individual circumstances of each case during sentencing
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· Oregon will need to spend an additional $400 million every two years for incarceration, not including cost for new prison construction
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· Will cost less than half of Measure 61
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· Provides no resources for drug treatment
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· Provides significant investment in drug treatment and drug courts
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· Will put up to 6,000 people in prison in the first three years
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· Will grow prison population by substantially less than Measure 61
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· Measure funded primarily by out-of-state interests
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· Measure supported by broad coalition of Oregonians, including education advocates, health and human service providers and key labor unions
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PSJ Position on the Two Measures
There is no way to sugarcoat Measure 57. It is not the approach we would have taken. Yet, its potential human and fiscal impact is not nearly as bad as Measure 61. This is an election where we have to make a difficult choice. The polling indicates that the best chance of defeating Measure 61 (the Mannix measure) is to support Measure 57. 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.
Please share this message with your friends and family. Make sure everyone you know is registered to vote and votes NO on 61 and YES on 57. The health of our state depends on it!
For a more detailed discussion of the differences between the two measures, see Comparing Legislative Property Crime Ballot Measure to Mannix’s Mandatory Minimum Measure on our website or “New Mandatory Sentences on Oregon Ballot” in the Summer 2008 issue of Justice Matters.
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