Your Story
Many lives and families have been torn apart by mandatory minimum sentences (Oregon measure 11). This section is created for anyone and everyone to tell their story of how this measure has directly affected themselves or their loved ones.
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My husband was falsely accused of a measure 11 crime and we are trying hard to fight it, and there is no evidence to support the claim beyond what the stupid little girl said – I’m sorry, but a 16 year old girl CAN and WILL lie about things and a family is being ripped apart over it. Sadly it is hard to fight this because of the laws as they are. They DESPRATELY need to be rewritten. Anyone can say anything and suddenly your loved one is ripped away without any “proof” beyond what someone said! We need to stop putting INNOCENT people away for crimes they did not commit because someone said something and REAL predators need to start being put away instead. It is a drain on tax payers money, it WRECKS lives and families, and it is a time drain on resources! STOP FALSE MEASURE 11 ACCUSATIONS BY REWRITTING THE LAW!
My son is serving 20 years. Oregon got him for a tempt a tempted murder. He didn’t attempt to kill anyone. Because of a letter he wrote he will be in their until he is 65. My son moved to OR state to live with girl. The both got involved in drugs. He was so strung out when he wrote this bad letter. He b drug addiction was never taken into concideration. Never did any thing violent or hurt anyone. My son has learning problems and truly is a special needs person he needs concealing and other this like anti-depressants. Does anyone know what the new bill is going to offer as gas as lower sentences, good behave or over turning sentence? Thank you
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I’m currently putting together a measure called Jury Nullification for Mandatory Sentencing Act.
This would allow the jury to know their right for nullification prior to trial so that if anything said and trial brings out questions regarding how harsh the sentence could be they can find the defendant innocent.
Troy*
Oregon is definitely getting rich off measure 11 and reducing crime rates at the same time unfortunately the people who are receiving the blunt of the pain are innocent family members and what is Oregon doing to equip the incarcerated for a no recidivism re-entry. Not enough if you ask me. I vote to improve measure 11
how is Oregon getting rich off of Measure 11?
The State gets money for every bed they fill, more money from grants etc. which means more money for people who work there, OH wait only those in the HIGH ranking positions, not the correctional officers that deal with prisoners each day. We need to revise Measure 11 and we need to do it NOW!!!
So whatever we want to do to Measure 11 whether we want to abolish, rewrite, or revise it we need to do it SOONER rather than LATER!
There are people who do not deserve to spend 6, 8 9, 10, 15, ? or more years for a first time offense. We need to find several “someones”
who can go through CASE BY CASE and make a more informed, intelligent, fair decision on what time each individual needs according to what the crime entails. I am not talking about certain menacing & dangerous offenses, for instance:
Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 11 in November 1994 to apply mandatory minimum prison sentences to certain crimes against persons committed on or after April 1, 1995, with no possibility for any reduction in sentence, such as for good behavior. The list of Ballot Measure 11 offenses currently includes the following:
Murder Attempted Murder Attempted Aggravated Murder
Assault I Manslaughter I Kidnapping I
Assault II Manslaughter II Kidnapping II
Rape I Sodomy I Sexual Penetration I
Rape II Sodomy II Sexual Penetration II
Robbery I Robbery II Sexual Abuse I
Arson I Compelling Prostitution Use of Child in Display of Sex Act
It has been modified by legislation several times:
House Bill 3439, passed June 1995, added Attempted Murder and Attempted Aggravated Murder.
Senate Bill 1049, passed July 1997 and effective October 4, 1997, added Arson I (when a serious physical threat is involved), Compelling Prostitution, and Use of Child in Display of Sex Act; it also allowed for departures from the mandatory minimum sentence for some Assault II, Kidnapping II, and Robbery II convictions, including those already sentenced.
House Bill 2494, passed August 1999, allowed for departures from the mandatory minimum sentence for some Manslaughter II convictions committed on or after October 23, 1999.
House Bill 2379, passed July 2001, allowed for departures from the mandatory minimum sentence for some Rape II, Sodomy II, Sexual Penetration II, and Sexual Abuse I convictions committed on or after January 1, 2002.
My son is currently serving a 31 year sentence for a crime he did NOT commit thanks to the corruption here in Deschutes Co. Along with Measure 11
Measure 11 is a dangerous law that is becoming one size fits all. The voters were told it would be used for violent crimes, each year another crime becomes classified as a Measure 11 crime. Our prisons are becoming over loaded, this will matter when our taxes continue to raise to build more. Now another good person with no priors not even a parking ticket will spend 25 years behind bars. She was a web cam model (porn) and her 5 year old daughter was caught in the camera frame as she was talking to a customer. The child was not hurt or touched but will grow up without knowing her own mother. Did you see this on the news, no. They kept it from the public. I wonder what else we don’t see or hear. This law has to go and Judges need their power back. Her attorney told her, “If you had killed your child you would be facing less time.” It is time we stand together and change this law. When something is wrong it has to be amended, Measure 11 is wrong and does not work!
My son 23 years old, no priors, no record, no criminal history. His court appointed attorney refused to subpoena character witnesses and advised my son to not take the stand. My was found guilty of sex abuse with no forensic evidence no physical evidence with a two day interrogation of over eight hours and had relapsed after being clean and sober, during the second interrogation he falsely confessed. He has been sentenced June 20, 2017 for 750 months for a crime he didn’t do. DA denied documents from DHS proving the father of child had allegations of sexual abuse, the his three children even reported these claims but DHS dropped the issue. My son is now trying to appeal. Oregon Statues and Laws were not observed. I pray his sentence is overturned.
I was charged with a measure 11 for a street fight, tweaker lied and said I use a weapon. Face lacerations did not match with a weapon being used. I ended up doing 7 months with really criminals who only talked about doing more damage when they get out.
My son is serving a 30 year sentence for sex abuse on a minor in Oregon. Two counties involved. No priors. Never been in trouble before. First time offender. Excellent prisoner. Hard working. Close to 10 years in there now and no problems. I don’t understand how good behavior counts for nothing. I understand punishment is necessary, but 30 years. That’s insane. Murders get less time and others who have committed the same crime. I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to appeal or if this is just a lost cause.
Singed: Heartbroken Mom
my son who is 23 a single father of a autistic 3yr old little boy who has absolutely no criminal history nor drug use was sentenced to 90 mo plus 70 mo at the end of july fortwo measure 11 crimes in which he drove his ex girlfriends brother to a place where the brother then attempted to rob someone and shot them That person did live The victim also came to my sons sentencing and stood and asked the courts not to send my son to jail he said he wasn’t the one who shot him nor tried to rob him and he felt like it was way unfair to be sending a good father and a good young man with no history to prison taking him away from a child who greatly needs him Measure 11 is ridiculously unfair and unjust somehow it has to be abolished its crazy that anyone could ever even think to pass this measure
My husband is doing time for a crime he didn’t do. A gal accused him of rape. She even admitted it was a set up and he didn’t do it she told two people she called rape cause he would not date her. I have been away from him sense 06. The state was told to let those with non-unanumous jury go but even though my husband was a 10-2 he is still in. I feel even if he did it the prison system is not set up to rehabilitate inmates so what’s the use of having them.