Prison/Community Team Focuses on Minimum Sentencing, Housing, and Work Crews

January, 2012

By Karen Meurer, PHOENIX RISING Transitions

Representatives of six MACG institutions have been meeting for nine months, talking about the issues of criminal justice that impact people in prison and in the community.

MACG’s Organizing Team recently approved the group as an official Research Action Team at the December 2011 meeting.

The Prison / Community Action Team has narrowed their scope to three areas of focus:

1) Mandatory minimum sentencing reform in Oregon
2) Housing – the number one issue people face when getting out of prison.
3) Prison work crew issues involving Portland Parks and Recreation work that is already under contract with LiUNA Local 483

Testifying at the Sentencing Commission

Three Members of the Prison / Community Action Team testified at the Oregon Commission on Public Safety’s Sentencing Commission in November: Karen Meurer, Dustin “DJ” Gollyhorn, and Jesse Robinson.  

The commission is looking at the efficacy of mandatory minimum sentences in the state. The focus of the testimony was the impact of long sentences on transition - and the essential role that community members play in moving people from a criminal/prisoner identity to a responsible citizen identity.

Please see PHOENIX website for attachments of their testimony.

Prison/Community Action Team member Dustin Gollyhorn with Gov. Kulongoski after presenting his testimony before the Sentencing Commission.

Moving Forward

At their January meeting, the team discussed how to start an education campaign about Mandatory Minimum Sentences, and the idea of linking Prison Transition Housing to the MACG work being done on Domestic Violence Survivor Housing.

Interested in getting involved?  The next Prison / Community Action Team meeting is February 20, or you can contact acting co-chairs Karen Meurer, PHOENIX RISING Transitions, kmeurer@frontier.com; or Toby Green, Laborers Union, tobiasmgreen@yahoo.com.