Make your opinions known to decision-makers on issues of importance to you and Partnership For Safety and Justice Action Network. http://safetyandjustice.e-actionmax.com/alertlist.asp Sat, 4 Feb 2012 08:05:06 GMT Sat, 4 Feb 2012 08:05:06 GMT en-us action alerts thedatabank, inc. Technology for Change. http://www.thedatabank.com/
Oregon currently spends a larger percentage of its general fund budget on corrections than any other state in the country. Our state has fourteen prisons and is planning to build more in the future. Oregon incarceration boom is unsustainable. The more we spend on prisons, the less money is available to fund education programs, drug and alcohol treatment programs, intervention programs for at risk youth programs that cost less than incarceration and prevent crime in the first place. Spending on prisons also takes scarce resources away from programs and services that support survivors of crime. For example, as more and more of the general fund goes to incarceration, less general fund money is available for the Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Fund (ODSVS), the only general fund money that supports services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout Oregon. We can stop the incarceration boom. Oregon can save our scarce tax dollars and maintain public safety by investing in programs like community based drug and alcohol treatment, intervention programs for at risk youth, after school programs, re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated people and more. We can also change the way we sentence people to prison by stopping one-size-fits-all sentencing and allowing judges the discretion to determine the appropriate sentence for each individual. We can prevent crime, and we can support services so that when people are hurt by crime or violence, they have resources that can help support them. The first step is letting legislators know that now is the time for change. Send a message to your legislature and encourage him or her to get smart on crime.

Deadline for action: 12/31/2012.]]> http://safetyandjustice.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=4159 http://safetyandjustice.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=4159 Mon, 9 Jan 2012 23:56:12 GMT
In the midst of the celebration for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, a coalition of community based organizations presented findings from "Facing Race: 2011 Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity." This report card is a multi-issue and multiracial assessment of the 2011 legislative session, evaluating lawmakers' commitment to advancing opportunity and closing disparities in the health and well-being of communities of color in Oregon. The Senate received a "C" and the House received a "D." These grades show the need for more collective leadership from lawmakers in addressing racial equity and inclusion. Communities of color are here today and are becoming an even more significant part of Oregon's future. Recent census data shows that Oregon's communities of color have doubled in the past two decades. In 1990, people of color in Oregon were 9.2%. In 2010, people of color made up 21.5% of Oregon's population. This report, which is the first of its kind in Oregon, is a tool to help legislators understand Oregon's changing demographics and how to better address the needs of communities of color. It provides legislators with new information about the experiences of people of color in the state, and sends a clear message: Lawmakers ignore the needs of these growing communities at their own risk. Click the "more" button below for more details, including a list of the recent press coverage the report has received.

Deadline for action: 7/26/2012.]]> http://safetyandjustice.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5720 http://safetyandjustice.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5720 Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:12:12 GMT