Pubdate: Tue, 23 Apr 2002
Source: Oregonian, The (OR)
Copyright: 2002 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Author: Dan Noelle
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)

GET OUT OF JAIL FREE

As the sheriff for Multnomah County, I am deeply disturbed by the new 
"catch and release" approach we have been forced to take with 
criminals.

Since January, budget problems forced us to close a jail and, as a 
result, our deputies have had to release almost 800 inmates. Some 
were awaiting trial or probation-violation hearings; others were 
already convicted and serving sentences of up to a year.

In order to free up beds for the most violent offenders, beginning 
May 2 we will discontinue booking into the jail people arrested on 
allegations of drug possession, auto theft and forgery. Individuals 
accused of these crimes will simply be given a citation, just like a 
traffic ticket.

The problem is not a lack of space. The problem is a lack of money to 
pay the deputies to staff our jails.

And the problem is about to get much worse. A current budget proposal 
for the Sheriff's Office would remove 254 more jail beds beginning 
July 1.

We are trying to keep the most hardened criminals in jail and release 
those who pose less danger to the community. But when I look at the 
individuals who are already getting out early, it frightens even an 
old cop like me. These are people who need drug treatment, need 
mental health services and need to know that society has a jail cell 
waiting for them if they continue to commit crimes.

Let me introduce you to three fellows who were released early last weekend:

Inmate One is a police officer's nightmare. He is 6-foot-3, 250 
pounds and has a string of drug-related criminal convictions dating 
back to 1989 when he was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for 
possession of dangerous drugs. He was in jail on a probation 
violation, his 10th in 10 years. In spite of that, he was released 
early because our officers ran out of empty jail beds.

Inmate Two is only 22 but he has already been convicted twice of 
stealing cars. In recent months, he has been released early three 
separate times, always getting picked up again by police. What kind 
of message are we sending someone like this?

Inmate Three has a conviction record in Multnomah County that dates 
back to 1978. He was released from the Oregon state prison system in 
2000 after serving more than seven years for robbery and burglary. He 
was convicted again on drug charges in 2001 and was back in our jail 
on probation violations. In February, his name was called under our 
early release requirement, and he was sent back to the streets.

These are not people who should be sent back out into our 
neighborhoods. In all three cases, judges have ruled they should be 
incarcerated. The have not only violated the laws that we live by, 
they also have repeatedly abused the "second chances" provided by our 
justice system. But, without the money to operate more jail beds, I 
do not have the resources to keep them locked up.

The Multnomah County commissioners have a tough job to do. They have 
to weigh the importance of public safety against other priorities. My 
hope is that they recognize what dumping these inmates back into our 
neighborhoods does to our quality of life.

We have long since cut administration at the Multnomah County 
Sheriff's Office. Even a study done by the county's budget office 
last year found "the Sheriff's Office to have the smallest 
administration of any county department."

I am being asked to cut another $3 million from my budget, and it 
can't be done without closing more jail beds.

These early releases defy all of my instincts as a 36-year police 
officer. But now they are defying all my instincts as a citizen in 
this county who expects our streets to be safe and repeat criminals 
to be locked up.

My biggest fear today is that this problem will get worse. There are 
worse people in our jails than the three you met on this page. And 
they may be coming back to a neighborhood near you. Dan Noelle is 
Multnomah County sheriff; reach his office through the Web site 
www.sheriff-mcso.org.
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