State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

Issues of intergenerational criminal justiceinvolvement, family health and successful youthdevelopment are not the responsibility of theDepartment of Corrections alone. Complex socialproblems require cross-sector collaborationand responses. For example, before eliminatingprograms like the Family Preservation Project,DOC should look to partner with Child Services,the Department of Human Services, and theDepartment of Education.Additionally, we need to begin looking at frontendsolutions. There are ways we can beginkeeping families together by changing sentencinglaws. The Washington State Legislature passeda law in 2010 that created a judicial sentencingalternative designed to keep non-violentoffenders with minor children out of prison. TheFamily & Offender Sentencing Alternative, orFOSA, is a collaboration between Washington’sDepartment of Corrections and the Departmentof Social and Health Services (DSHS). This is thekind of innovation we need in Oregon.COMMUNITY IMPACTSocioeconomic status is a significant factorin property crimes, which are roughly half ofcrimes committed. Economic instability leads toincreased justice system involvement. Raciallydisproportionate incarceration leads to greaterinstability of Black communities. It’s a viciouscircle: no job — crime — stiff sentence — release— no job — more crime — even stiffer prisonsetence; with the family affected as much as theprisoner.SOLUTIONSTarget policies to lift up the economic viability ofcommunities of color.Enact “Ban-the-Box” laws that eliminatequestions about conviction history on jobapplications. The prospective employer can stilllearn about the conviction later in the hiringprocess, but the former prisoner won’t be ruledout at first glance. Ensure that people doing thehard work of turning their lives around don’t getshut out of viable employment opportunities—avital component to a strong economic justiceagenda.Eliminate policies that limit the eligibility ofpeople with criminal records, and their families,for public benefits or subsidized housing.“If you want to see where society is failing,one need only look in prisons”— Max Williams, CEO Oregon Community Foundation140