NEWS RELEASE
May 15, 2017
Adult prison is the wrong place to put Oregonians under 18
HB 2251 prohibits incarcerating minors in Department of Corrections facilities
SALEM – Adult prisons aren’t the
place for youth who wind up in trouble with the law, and the Oregon Senate
voted today to send a bill to stop that harmful practice to Gov. Kate Brown for
her signature.
House Bill 2251 – which passed by
a 23-7 vote on the Senate floor today – prohibits incarcerating anyone younger
than 18 in a Department of Corrections institution under any circumstances.
Those individuals would be incarcerated, more appropriately, at an Oregon Youth
Authority facility instead. Research indicates that placing youth with adult
offenders increases recidivism and risk of harm to the minor.
“Kids shouldn’t be put in adult
prisons under any circumstances, and this bill is meant to prevent that,” said
Sen. James Manning (D-Eugene), who carried the bill in the Senate. “When you
take a kid who’s gotten into trouble for something and put them around older, more
experienced, prison populations, it can lead to horrific experiences for the
youth. They can become targets of abuse, and it also doesn’t help them
rehabilitate. Instead of learning how to become better contributors to society,
they can learn the tricks of the criminal trade. Both of those are unacceptable
options for our young people and all of our kids deserve better.”
Currently, if a person is younger
than 18 while committing an offense – and younger than 20 when they are
sentenced to a Department of Corrections facility – their physical custody must
be transferred to Oregon Youth Authority if one of the following conditions
applies:
- The person
will complete the sentence before turning 25; or
- Department
of Corrections and Oregon Youth Authority determine that incarceration at an
adult facility is inappropriate because of the person’s age, maturity level,
mental or emotional condition or risk of physical harm to the person.
Once a person is placed under
Oregon Youth Authority custody, they currently remain there until the
circumstances change so that the person is eligible to be moved to an adult
facility. House Bill 2251 adds the requirement that a person’s physical custody
be transferred to OYA if the person is younger than 18 at the time of sentencing
and beginning incarceration. Those transferred to the physical custody of OYA
would not be returned to the Department of Corrections until reaching the age
of 18.
HB 2251 now goes to Gov. Kate
Brown for signature.
###
Contact: Rick Osborn, Communications Director Capitol Phone: 503-986-1074 Email: rick.osborn@oregonlegislature.gov Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-223, Salem, Oregon 97301
|