State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

JUVENILE JUSTICEIn Oregon, Black youth under age 18 are morelikely than White youth to be charged as anadult for the same offenses. Adult convictionrecords follow them around for the rest of theirlives—creating barriers to education, housingand employment.SOLUTIONEliminate Measure 11’s automatic transfer ofyouth to adult court. Adopt sentencing policiesthat address disproportionate school disciplineand the ways in which “in school” arrests lead tojustice involvement.CHILDREN OF INCARCERATEDPARENTSWomen are being incarcerated at a faster pacethan men, in a pipeline already known for racialdisparities. It is estimated that 80 percent ofincarcerated women are mothers, most ofwhom are likely to resume parenting roles oncereleased. Research clearly shows that youngpeople with incarcerated parents are more likelyto end up incarcerated themselves.SOLUTIONOregon’s Department of Corrections is set tophase out its Family Preservation Project inearly 2015. Nearly half the women involvedidentified as a person of color and benefittedfrom skills development and improvedrelationships with their children. Not oneparticipant in the program’s history hasreturned to prison. Although the Departmentof Corrections (DOC) might not be in abudgetary position to sustain the programon its own, DOC needs to begin developinginnovative partnerships with other stateagencies to build on this work and take it toscale.Emanuel Price is the founderof Second Chances Are ForEveryone (SCAFE), a nonprofitthat works to reducethe rate of recidivism formen & women leaving thecriminal justice system139