Campaign for Youth Justice releases a new report, Misguided Measures: The Outcomes and Impacts of Measure 11 on Oregon’s Youth. Co-authored by Partnership for Safety and Justice
Today the Campaign for Youth Justice and Partnership for Safety and Justice co-released a new report , Misguided Measures: The Outcomes and Impacts of Measure 11 on Oregon’s Youth, which addresses the way that Oregon’s Measure 11 has affected juvenile crime in the 15 years since it was enacted. We hope that the material in this report will inform justice system stakeholders in their decisions regarding the treatment of youth in the adult criminal justice system in Oregon. The full report is available at: http://www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/documents/misguided_measures_july_2011.pdf.
In 1994, Oregon voters passed Measure 11 which imposed long mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes and required that youth charged with those crimes be automatically prosecuted as adults. The report examines the detrimental impact of Measure 11 in a thorough, in-depth analysis of its effect on youth and public safety in Oregon. According to the data, Measure 11 has not made Oregon any safer. In fact, most youth charged with Measure 11 offenses are not the most serious youth offenders, but they receive the most serious sentences, little to no rehabilitative services, and face lifelong barriers to becoming productive citizens even after they have served their sentence. The report provides clear reasons why the public should reconsider Measure 11 for juveniles in addition to a list of recommendations that incorporate the latest research on curbing juvenile delinquency and recidivism in order to improve youth justice policies and increase public safety in Oregon.
