As the COVID outbreak winds down, one part of the wreckage that needs to be cleaned up is the ability of the criminal justice system to effectively address crime. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission is reporting that on a statewide basis, prison intakes are down for all categories.

While crime rates continue to soar, and riots in Portland have resurfaced, prison intakes have lagged and insiders are publicly asking what impact this has on the continued impact of crime in the state of Oregon. As the population grows and crime increases, at least one way to prevent further crimes is to have potential perpetrators incarcerated.

The commission presents four categories of intakes, all of which declined:

• Drug, Property, Driving
• Other
• Person
• Sex

Under Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Department of Corrections Director Colette Peters, prison beds have declined. Several prisons were scheduled to be shut down and in the end, only the facility at Mill Creek was shuttered.

​Mill Creek Correctional Facility was a minimum-security prison located five miles southeast of Salem. The facility was a minimum-security work camp providing labor to the Oregon Department of Corrections, other state and local agencies, and private industries throughout the Willamette Valley. MCCF officially closed on June 30, 2021 as part of Governor Brown's sentencing reform efforts.

The department has custody of adults sentenced to prison for more than 12 months, housing approximately 12,000 adults in 12 state prisons throughout the state. DOC is recognized nationally among correctional agencies for providing individuals with the cognitive, education, and job skills needed to become productive citizens when they transition back to their communities.

The Oregon Constitution was amended in November 1996 to say, "Laws for the punishment of crimes shall be founded on these principles: protection of society, personal responsibility, accountability for one’s actions and reformation."


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-04-21 05:46:33

Last Update: 2022-04-21 06:04:01