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.
Oregon district attorneys group preps for political battle over Measure 11′s mandatory minimum sentences OregonLive.com 2/10/2021 Noelle Crombie, oregonlive.com
The Oregon District Attorneys Association is ramping up its political fight to preserve the state’s longstanding mandatory minimum sentencing law as lawmakers prepare to take up changes to Measure 11 this year.
The organization, which represents elected district attorneys, on Wednesday issued its own report on what it views as the law’s effectiveness.
Three district attorneys who campaigned as reformers – Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt and Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis – recently announced they would split with the organization on the issue and will support changes to the law.