Could Measure 11′s mandatory prison sentences disappear?
Legislation would do away with landmark law’s minimum terms and give violent offenders chance to earn early release
Updated on Feb 27, 2021;
Published on Feb 27, 2021
Inside Oregon State Penitentiary, January 22, 2020 Beth Nakamura/Staff
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A quarter-century has passed since Oregon voters said yes to a law that would profoundly reshape how the state treats its most violent offenders.
Measure 11 created a class of crimes that in the eyes of voters deserved longer prison sentences and ensured people convicted of those offenses served every day of their terms.
Today, offenders prosecuted under the landmark law make up about 47% of the 12,586 people in Oregon’s prisons, according to the state.