02/05/02

The Oregon Legislature is facing a budget in which no part of state government can be held harmless. But why does the largest proportional proposed cut fall on public safety, the core responsibility of the state?

There is no question that education, public health and welfare agencies provide vital services for Oregonians. But as a district attorney I feel compelled to speak for state agencies -- the Oregon State Police, the Department of Corrections and the Oregon Youth Authority -- that may not be able to advocate for themselves, given the chain of command and political realities.

The conventional wisdom in this state is that we are spending more tax money on prisons than schools. The truth is that while 57 percent of the state tax dollar goes to education, only 7 percent goes to corrections. No one is suggesting reversing those numbers, but an informed discussion needs to be placed in context.

A group of legislators have proposed a pared-down budget that deserves praise for protecting vital public safety programs. But I urge them to look at restoring the state police recruit class of 2003, which is still likely to be cut. The number of troopers on the road has decreased significantly in proportion to the state's population over the last decade.

The crime rate is down significantly in our state due in no small part to a coherent corrections policy that means serious crime has serious consequences. It's pretty simple. A very small percentage of the population commits a very large percentage of the serious crime --armed robbery, sexual abuse and home-invasion burglaries. Reducing prison beds is a very bad idea, and at this point that proposal is off the table, where it should remain.

Critics of Measure 11, which requires violent felons and child molesters to serve real prison sentences, would have you believe this law is breaking the budget. If you released every prisoner serving a Measure 11 sentence (murder, rape, robbery, sexual abuse), you would save less than $70 million a year, less than 20 percent of the corrections budget.

Don't let anyone tell you Oregon's prisons are full of harmless youths who stole a car. The 17-year-old who robs a convenience store isn't even in a Department of Corrections facility. He is supervised by the Oregon Youth Authority, a relatively new state agency that grew out of a recognition that troubled children need to be separated from youthful offenders who in turn should be kept from hardened adult criminals. The Youth Authority needs every bed it has open and as a new state agency has very little leeway for cuts.

Legislators have made a good start by drawing a line at basic public safety services. I urge them not to lose that focus as they struggle toward a balanced budget. Clatsop County District Attorney Joshua Marquis is Oregon's director on the board of the National District Attorneys Association and immediate past president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association.