Don’t forget, Felons CAN vote on this measure….make sure they go to DMV and register to vote….we can’t complain if we don’t help ourselves.

I thank you for reading this. I am forwarding some information from a cause that I support. One of my good friends has made a serious commitment to create a Meth addiction Recovery center. One of the goals is to make available treatment for drug related criminals. Her son was the inspiration to start this non-profit business. He spent time in prison as a result of drug related crimes but never received treatment. As a result he re-offended while relapsing and did more time. He has never recieved drug addiction treatment. Consequently the same thing happened to my own son. The need for these types of criminals to get the treatment they need and not just punishment is critical!! It’s a change we all should be fighting for!

Please visit the following website to learn more and get involved if you are so moved.

http://www.justintimerecoverycenter.com

There will be a 5k run/walk “Road to Recovery” on September 12th and the proceeds go to build this important program. View more on the “Events” link regarding that event.

Our mission is to save and rebuild lives from substance abuse with intervention, effective treatment and a life plan of recovery.

Just In Time strives to end the cycle of addiction.

Fact: 90-95% of persons incarcerated in the Lane County Jail have either substance abuse or mental health issues which relates directly to continued increase in property crime, theft and recidivism. Meth and drug addiction is a community issue that effects us all. In Lane County only 11% of those that need help for addiction are able to get help due to lack of treatment centers.

Oregon tops the national average in drug abuse

Drug related problems cost Oregon tax payers 6 billion per year

In Lane County Oregon, 90% of new felony cases are meth related.

Because of Meth in Lane County, our current arrest rate for violent crime is double the national average.

This webinar was supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. To view the archived version of the webinar, please click here.

This webinar, facilitated by Margaret diZerega, Family Justice program director at the Vera Institute of Justice, will feature presentations by:

* Dee Ann Newell, M.A., Founder and Executive Director, Arkansas Voices for Children Left Behind. Ms. Newell’s organization is instrumental in the development of state legislation to support subsidized guardianship by relative caregivers for children of incarcerated parents and legislation to protect pregnant mothers during incarceration. From 2006 to 2008, she provided technical assistance to fourteen states around policy and program development for children of incarcerated parents.
* Yali Lincroft, M.B.A.., Independent Consultant, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the American Humane Association, and First Focus. Ms. Lincroft’s fifteen years of experience in policy and program planning at the local, state, and federal level includes work as a policy consultant for the San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents’ initiative to improve child welfare services. Her recent and upcoming publications include After the Earthquake: A Bulletin for Child Welfare Organizations Assisting Haitian Families in the United States and a toolkit for social workers assisting incarcerated parents, which will be published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in the fall of 2010.

A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.

This webinar, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, will be held at 2:00 P.M. (E.T.) on Wednesday, September 1, 2010.

* To register for this webinar, click here.

But Dudley, the party’s current nominee, showed Tuesday that this bond only goes so far. As part of his drive to portray himself as willing to make the tough budget decisions, Dudley announced that he would oppose the Mannix ballot measure toughening sentences for sex crimes and drunk driving.

Dudley also announced he would oppose another ballot measure continuing the diversion of lottery dollars into parks and wildlife habitat. In both cases, he said the state simply could not afford it.

“While the goals of these measures are laudable, their cost is simply too high,” Dudley said.

Mannix said Wednesday morning that he had a “brief conversation” with Dudley about his measure and tried to persuade him that it would be several years before the tougher sentences would have much of an impact on the budget. And even then, it would at most be one-fifth of 1 percent of the general fund budget, he said.

Of course, as anybody knows, you can get yourself in financial trouble by telling yourself that each individual purchase is no big deal as you whip out your credit card.

Whatever the case, Dudley has clearly decided that he’d rather take a stand for limiting spending than backing Mannix, the GOP nominee in 2002, on another one of his crime issues.

Mannix noted that voters bought his really big crime initiative – Measure 11 – back in 1994 despite widespread warnings from the political establishment that it would have a huge pricetag.

Still, it’s worth noting that the Republican nominee for governor that year, Denny Smith, supported Measure 11.

Now, opponents of Mannix’s new initiative, Measure 73, will be able to run ads saying that both nominees for governor are opposed. That will be interesting to see if that catches the attention of voters in this volatile political year.

UPDATE: Josh Alpert, who is managing the parks initiative, Measure 76, also sought to minimize the political impact of Dudley’s announcement. He said supporters had unsuccessfully sought a meeting with Dudley in recent months to argue the merits of their initiative.

Interestingly, Mannix also supports the parks measure, saying that the diversions have been particularly successful in improving state parks and open space.

We learned today from the Secretary of State’s Office that Kevin Mannix’s latest measure, on which we will be voting on November 2, has been assigned to be ballot measure number 73.

Measure 73 creates mandatory minimum sentences for sex offenses and driving while under the influence. Like other Mannix initiatives, M73 creates a one-size-fits-all response to very serious and complicated problems and does nothing to support community-based programs that provide life-saving programs to survivors or prevent the crimes listed in the measure.

Oregon can’t afford another Mannix measure. State agencies are making 9% cuts to their programs and services. That means even more people will be turned away from shelters and fewer people will get treatment for their addictions. Right now, we need to shore up these services that support survivors and help people live without–and drive without–drugs and alcohol.

Mannix’s newest measure could draw even more youth into the prison system. We are researching loopholes that could inappropriately force juveniles to serve long adult sentences.

We’ll keep you up-to-date on ballot measure 73 and how you can get involved in opposing Mannix’s latest mandatory measure.

Tune in this afternoon to National Public Radio (NPR) for a full report on the crack cocaine victory, which should include comments Julie gave the reporter. Click here to listen.

Yes, we won! Minutes ago the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make crack cocaine sentencing laws more sensible and fair! Your calls and letters to Congress made a difference!

This is a fantastic victory – and one we have fought for more than 15 years! It will affect about 3,000 people each year, reducing excessively high crack penalties by more than two years on average. Right now the law is not retroactive but we are going to fight for retroactivity as soon as the bill is signed! To read FAMM’s press release, click here.

The bill will go straight to President Obama for his signature, within the next ten days.

Thank you for sticking with me during this long haul. I know that the pace of sentencing reform is painfully slow and discouraging but, hopefully, this victory gives you the renewed faith that together we can change sentencing laws!

Celebrate your victory!

This is the real deal. Congress leaves town on Friday. They must do something for sentencing justice before they go – but I need you to help me make it happen!

Last week I asked you to call your representative and tell him to support the crack bill, S. 1789, and you responded by the hundreds. Now we need thousands of FAMM members to pick up the phone today and call the leaders of the House of Representatives, the ones who make the decision about whether the bill should come up for a vote. And, if you haven’t called your representative, do so immediately!

Please make these two phone calls first: One to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). And one to Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland).

Speaker of the House Pelosi: (202) 225-0100
House Majority Leader Hoyer (202) 225-3130

Your message to them is simple:

“I am calling to tell the leadership that I want them to vote on the crack bill, S. 1789, before they go home for the August break. The bill corrects an injustice in the law that is long overdue and it reflects the values of liberty, equality, and compassion that all Americans share.”

If the person who answers the phone tells you to call your own representative, tell them you already have (if you haven’t, click here). Then explain that you are calling them because Rep. Pelosi or Rep. Hoyer are the leaders of the House of Representatives.

Then, call your representative. If you’ve already called, ask your friends to call their representatives. They can find their names on the FAMM website (click here). Make your calls now – today and Wednesday!

We can do this! We can get this bill passed!

I’ve worked on sentencing reform for 19 years, ever since my brother went to prison for growing marijuana. None of the reforms we achieved while he was in prison helped him but I know they helped others – maybe even your loved one. I know this isn’t the perfect bill – it isn’t retroactive and it doesn’t eliminate the disparity completely – but we are not going to get the perfect right now. We can get this bill. And we can use it to push for even bigger changes in the future. So please help me help others now.

I’m depending on you. Our strength is our numbers, our voices, our passion, and our knowledge that we’re on the right side of this issue. Make your calls today! Ask your family and friends to call today! Let’s win this one!

Thank you for making the difference!

“Our No. 1 priority is to protect the Powder River facility and staff,” said Fred Warner Jr., chairman of the Baker County Board of Commissioners. “We will fight all we can to keep Powder River. We will fight to our last breath to keep Powder River as the last minimum-security prison closed.”

Warner said the county’s second priority is to convince the Department of Corrections to resume the practice of having crews of Powder River inmates work for local nonprofits and public service agencies in the area for no charge, with the cost paid from the state general fund.

“We need to figure out how to get the inmates back out in the community working,” Warner said.

Ken Neff, director of operations at Powder River, said the state-subsidized inmate work crews were suspended July 1 in response to Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s June order that all state agencies trim 9 percent from their budgets to bridge an estimated $577 deficit for the two-year state budget cycle that ends June 30, 2011.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) initially proposed, in addition to ending subsidized work crews, closing Powder River and two other minimum-security prisons.

On June 9, Kulongoski rejected the proposal to close any prisons.

However, Neff said the other cuts took effect July 1, including the demise of the subsidized inmate work crews.

As an alternative, Neff said the governor directed DOC to make inmate crews available for hire at a rate of $458 for a 10-man crew for 8 hours, including DOC security staff; $543 for a 10-man crew for 10 hours; or $5.50 per day per inmate for host agencies when no DOC security staff is provided.

Peggy Timm of Baker City asked Neff how DOC can justify eliminating work crews, or making them too expensive for many nonprofits, considering Oregon voters approved Measure 17 in 1994, which requires inmates to work.

Neff said inmates will still do institutional work inside the prison.

In addition, some inmates still work for Oregon Corrections Enterprises operations, such as a Department of Motor Vehicles call center and a prison print shop.

In addition, Neff said educational and job training activities done by inmates while in prison also count as work under Measure 17.

Karen Yeakley, chairwoman of the Prison Advisory Committee, said treating Powder River inmates for drug and alcohol addictions and providing opportunities for them to work and get reconnected to the community are essential for rehabilitating inmates before they are released.

“The end result is we want good citizens,” Yeakley said.

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