SEPTEMBER 2008: AROUND THE STATE
Costs spiral for prison measures
STATEWIDE A state analysis of the two criminal justice measures
competing for votes this November estimates prison costs to be
even higher than anticipated. The forecast predicts that the
cheaper of the two alternatives, Measure 57, would cost $1.1
billion over the next decade, while the more costly version,
Measure 61, would cost up to $2.2 billion.
The main difference between the price tags is the cost of
building prisons. Measure 57 would require about $500 million
for borrowing money to build prisons and paying that money back
over 25 years, with interest. Measure 61 would put up to four
times as much money, or $2 billion over, into building new
prisons, according to the state analysis.
Because neither identifies a funding source, the measures would
be funded through Oregon’s general fund. That is likely
to be the point of contention as the election approaches,
because Oregon already spends a larger percentage of its
general fund on corrections than any other state, according to
a February 2008 report by Pew’s Center on the States.
Oregon expanded its prison system substantially in the 1990s,
building new prisons in remote locations from Ontario to
Lakeview to Madras. The prisons were often touted as drivers of
rural economic development, but several studies have disproved
that claim (see “Prisontown Myth” in the April 2008
issue of Oregon Business).
The state’s 13,600 inmates are housed in 14 facilities.
The Oregon Department of Corrections has plans for prisons in
White City and Junction City, but will have to adjust for
thousands of new inmates if either measure passes. If both
pass, the one with the most votes will become law.
BEN JACKLET
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