What is the History of the Oregon Community Corrections?

In 1976, the Governor's Task Force on Corrections proposed a new system of community-based corrections based on a Minnesota model. They recommended legislation to create a partnership between the state and the counties to provide supervision and sanctioning of offenders. Based on this recommendation, the 1977 Legislature passed the Community Corrections Act. The act funded existing community programs and developed alternatives to prison incarceration. The act gave counties the option of managing all, part, or none of the services for offenders under supervision.

The original Community Corrections Act has been subject to many debates over its twenty-three year history. A variety of changes have been proposed, ranging from abolishing the act to mandating county participation. The most recent reform occurred in the 1995 Legislative session with the passage of SB 1145. SB 1145 has four areas of particular interest:

Local public safety coordinating councils are formed in each county to develop and recommend plans for use of state resources to serve adult offenders and to serve as planning and implementation forums for the coordination of local criminal justice policies.

The counties, in partnership with the state, provide incarceration, sanctions, and services for offenders with felony sentences of 12 months or less or with probation, parole, or post-prison supervision.

Funds are allocated for projects to construct, renovate, acquire or remodel local correctional facilities. The new beds are for the offenders who will remain in the community rather than being returned to Department of Corrections prisons.

SB 1145 provides counties the ability to design and deliver a continuum of sanctions and services to fit the community and the offender. Locally appointed supervisory authorities move offenders serving a local control sentence among incarceration and community sanction alternatives.

Unlike many responsibilities shifted to local jurisdictions, the state has generally increased financial support to the community corrections program. In addition, the Governor has appointed a statewide policy body, the governor's Community Corrections Commission, which gives policy direction to the department.

Recent issues with the Oregon Community Corrections

Funding is always an issue. Current funding is based on estimates of costs to incarcerate and to supervise offenders. The formula is very complex and separates the costs of incarceration/jail supervised sanctions and of supervision. The Governor's Implementation Committee is currently working on a formula that would combine the different costs and formulas into a budget based on the number of offenders in a given county. Since the funding is allotted to the county commissioners, this would allow county government flexibility to move money among the various county diversion, incarceration and supervision programs. Rather than review specific actions or programs, the state's monitoring of SB 1145 is through a set of outcome measures adopted by the Governor's Implementation Committee. These measures include recidivism, absconds, positive case closure, and restitution.

The balance between state accountability for the funding and local control of decisions affecting county programs is an ongoing dialog. The dialog often occurs in association meetings of county commissioners, sheriffs, community corrections directors, and jail managers, as well as the Governor's Implementation Committee.

What is Community Corrections?

In the State of Oregon, Community Corrections manages over 35,000

offenders who have committed crimes and have been placed under

supervision by the courts (probation) or the Board of Parole and

Post-Prison Supervision (parole/post -prison supervision). This is in

contrast to the 9,000 felony offenders in prison. Commission of a new

crime is called recidivism and in Oregon over 70 percent of those on supervision do not recidivate.

Since 1995, each county in Oregon is responsible for the management

of these offenders and those released from local custody. Klamath

County Community Corrections supervises nearly 1500 offenders

convicted of both misdemeanor and felony crimes. 

Community Corrections is a partnership between the Oregon Department of Corrections and local community corrections departments that serves to provide a cost-effective means to hold offenders accountable, changing their criminal behavior while protecting the community.

Each aspect of community corrections - supervision, sanctions, and services - is important to hold the offender accountable for his or her criminal behavior while protecting the community from future crimes. Klamath County Community Corrections operate sanctions such as electronic surveillance, community work crews, day reporting, and intensive supervision programs that help the probation/parole officer hold the offender accountable for his or her behavior. Development of other services such as alcohol/drug treatment, sex offender treatment, employment, and mental health services to meet the requirements of the court or Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision is also the responsibility of Community Corrections.

Probation/parole officers control misdemeanor and felony offenders who are in the community by concentrating the greatest efforts on the 18 percent of offenders who are most likely to commit new crimes. These offenders have often been in prison and have four or more previous felony convictions. Typically, higher risk offenders have serious substance abuse problems that contribute to their criminal behavior. Offenders considered the highest risk are given the greatest amount of attention, especially if their behavior and compliance with the orders of the court or Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision is less than desired. The contacts include home visits, community networking; office visits, employment checks, and checks with other agencies including law enforcement and social service agencies. Contact is progressively less frequent as risk decreases. Each offender is subject to a full array of sanctions and services to help hold him or her accountable and in reducing the likelihood that he or she will commit more crimes. Additionally, offenders are often subject to unannounced home visits, searches, random urine testing for drug use, or polygraph testing to monitor compliance with conditions of supervision.

Besides the various sanctions and services, the probation/parole officer can respond quickly to violation behavior of offenders through a system called Structured Sanctions. This system allows the officer to hold the offender accountable for behavior in a consistent manner through imposition of a swift sanction commensurate with that behavior.