Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Lock ‘em up vs. education.

That’s one of the political realities behind what I heard for the first time a few days ago in a post from KGW-TV.

Here’s the headline.

The director of the Oregon Department of Corrections is asking the Legislature to fund a study of a building new major state, maximum security prison.

The current prison, called “The Big House” lies in Salem, Oregon and, to put a point on it, it is very told.

So, the director of the state agency, Mike Reese, a former City of Portland police chief as well as a former Multnomah County sheriff, is calling for a new state prison.  At least a study he wants a full-fledged study of the possibility of building one.

Here is what he told KGW in a story the TV station carried under this headline:  “Inside the Oregon Department of Corrections’ push to build a new state penitentiary.”

“DOC Director Reese says the state prison is aging and ‘oppressive.’

“So, he and leaders at the Oregon Department of Corrections are pushing for a new state prison, asking lawmakers to add it to the top of their priority list and study how much it would cost to repair or replace the maximum-security facility in Salem.”

It the study moves forward, it might cost much.  But, building a new prison.  It would cost millions and take years to construct.

And the cost would re-shape the state’s budget planning for its criminal justice system.

Reese contends the Penitentiary is deteriorating and it no longer makes sense to bankroll repairs.

“We do that work (meaning prison repairs) and then what breaks next?”
he told KGW.   “This institution has a vibe to it that makes it challenging to talk about rehabilitation and restoration of people’s humanity and dignity.”

The risk of Reese’s advocacy?

EVERY dollar in state prisons is a “general fund tax dollar,” so funding a new prison inevitably will take money from other general fund priorities, such as K-12 schools, social services, and higher education.

I’ll go back to allocations in 2023.

A total of $27.86 billion was in the “general fund,” which includes all the taxes individuals and companies pay the state each year.  “Lottery funds “– $1.5 billion – comes from state-sanctioned gambling.  Almost $40.44 billion aroses from federal funding, which includes money sent to Oregon for programs such as Medicaid, education, and housing.

The biggest chunk of the 2021-23 budget — $51.4 billion – came from so-called “other funds,” which includes money state agencies gather by charging for services or licensing — for example, the fee that doctors pay to maintain a medical license, or the fee that many people pay to get a driver’s license.

Back many years ago when I worked in the Oregon Department of Human Resources, the agency included the Corrections Division.  Then, there were three state prisons – the “big house,” the Correctional Institution out on Highway 22 a bit east of Salem, and the Women’s Prison, a small facility located near the big house.

In 1994, Oregonians approved a measure at the ballot by a large margin – 66 per cent.  It established sentencing guidelines which translated into a “lock ‘em up” strategy.

It clearly was politically popular, so the prison building boom started.

Today, there are 14 state prisons, all funded by “general fund dollars.”  No federal money.  No money from inmates.

The Reese-request, however warranted it may be given the age of the big house, will continue making it tough to balance all state general fund needs.

Which means I would not want to sit in positions occupied by the Oregon House and Senate co-chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee (which in Oregon, refers to the budget, not taxes.)    

There are no easy decisions ahead.