Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jun 2001
Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)
Copyright: 2001 The Register-Guard
Contact:  http://www.registerguard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/362
Author: Carol Berg
Note: Carol Berg of Eugene is co-chair of the Enough is Enough Committee, a
group organized to oppose three recent public safety tax levies proposed by
the city of Eugene and Lane County.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

SHERIFF'S DEFIANCE OF WILL OF VOTERS FOSTERS APATHY

BOTH THE JUNE 13 Register-Guard editorial, "Keep voting deadline," and 
state Rep. Jim Hill's June 20 response, "Make every vote count," expound 
upon the vote-by-mail process. Neither comment addresses the very real 
problem of dismal voter turnout.

Lane County's voter turnout percentage has been in the low 30s; fewer than 
one in three voters even bothers to vote. This "why bother to vote" 
syndrome is surely, in large part, because of voter disgust and outrage 
over seeing our majority votes countermanded by elected leaders, as 
occurred in mid-June in our own county.

This was the stunt pulled by Lane County Sheriff Jan Clements, aided and 
abetted by county Commissioners Anna Morrison and Bobby Green, who worked 
in closed-door meetings to circumvent the hard work of the Community 
Corrections Committee.

The Public Safety Coordinating Council gave the CCC the task of 
recommending disbursements of public money for a variety of public safety 
programs. The CCC proposed a balanced plan that would have funded, at least 
minimally, effective social service, crime prevention and intervention 
programs, such as the very successful Drug Court. The lion's share of 
public safety dollars would still be given to the Lane County Sheriff's 
Office, a $42 million tab. The CCC allocated just $250,000 for the Drug Court.

Not satisfied with his $42 million budget, Clements then went after Drug 
Court funding and got it. The Drug Court budget allocation was thus reduced 
to just $125,000.

The end result. Significantly fewer addicts accepted into the program - 
and, consequently, more addicts taking up much more costly jail beds.

During budget deliberations, Clements was asked to reduce his budget by 
$660,000 and take a hard look at possibly cutting the more than $1 million 
paid to deputies in overtime pay. A few months ago in Portland, an 
investigation revealed the extent of police overtime abuses. I call for a 
similar investigation in Lane County. An independent review is warranted 
and essential.

Clements ignored the suggestion to look into that $1 million overtime tab, 
opting instead to go after CCC allocations for the Drug Court - a program 
that is proven to reduce recidivism through effective drug rehabilitation 
work. An already bloated sheriff's office budget snagged vital dollars from 
the Drug Court, a fiscally responsible and humane support agency.

Why should this trouble voters. During the campaigns for various tax 
measures to spend millions more of our tax dollars for even more jail beds 
and deputies, the drumbeat cadence from voters throughout the county was 
"enough is enough." Many voters are aware of national studies indicating 
that for every $1 spent on programs like the Drug Court, $7 in jail beds 
and jail staff costs were saved. All recent public safety measures, 
rejected by voters time and again, dismally short-shrifted the programs 
that actually work. For every $231 these public safety measures designated 
for more police and more jail beds, only $1 was earmarked for helping 
at-risk youths, funding the Drug Court and other effective social service 
support agencies.

It was not surprising that these measures failed, big time - one went down 
by nearly 75 percent. From fiscal conservatives to social liberals, people 
made clear their objections, knowing that it's futile and wasteful to 
shovel more money (above and beyond that $42 million eaten up each year by 
the sheriff's office) when it's clearly not working. Jail and court 
recidivism, the revolving door of repeat offenders, is at an all-time high. 
Others recognized that the priorities were badly skewed.

Yet our county sheriff, who repeatedly failed to persuade voters to dig 
even deeper to expand his domain, chose to go after Drug Court funds. This 
is exactly the opposite of the will of the electorate. The county's own 
survey also underscored the voters' intent. Only 17 percent of respondents 
prefer more jails and more deputies as a way to "improve public safety." 
However, 67 percent preferred more focus on the programs that actually do 
reduce crime (prevention, intervention and drug rehabilitation), thus 
reducing the financial burdens on taxpayers.

Commissioner Peter Sorenson, in tune with the will of the electorate, was 
the only commissioner who tried to protect the CCC proposal. The 
reprehensibly irresponsible votes cast by the other four commissioners 
represent public malfeasance at its worst. An accounting is due.

As Drug Court Judge Darryl Larson put it, "Jail is just like a timeout for 
3-year-olds." People who go into jail addicted to drugs are released 
addicted to drugs. Without effective rehabilitation programs, they'll be 
back through courts and jails and, guaranteed, there will be more measures 
asking taxpayers to pick up the tab.

In frustration and outrage, it may be tempting to refuse to participate in 
expensive, taxpayer-funded elections and surveys when the results are 
ignored. But let us not be discouraged about voting itself. We can vote 
officials out of office for not respecting or upholding the will of the 
people. When we vote out of office those who trample on the will of the 
people, that's a vote that will be upheld - and no amount of back-room 
maneuvers will undo it.

When that time comes, vote. Right now, let's send a few dollars to the Drug 
Court. It's a proactive step we can all take to undo a great wrong, to 
restore funds cut from a program that does so much with so little. Real 
people, and the subsequent well-being of our community, are at stake.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens