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One aspect of this problem which seems to be receiving short shrift is the question of why pimps are doing this. It's easy to call them "monsters", "creeps", "feeders" and lots of other words, but why do they do it?

My question is how many of them have served time in prison already and are trying to make a living on the outside. Do they come out of prison with a criminal record, little or no job history, racial discrimination in the job market, etc.? If so, two options are drug dealing and pimping.

In order to really make inroads into this problem, I think attention needs to be paid to both the women who are being abused and also the abusers themselves. Not being able to find a job is not an excuse to become a pimp, but it makes sense why this happens. Prisoners are essentially slaves and people released from prison are in a position similar to indentured servants. They still "owe" the system money and are "on parole", but they get little help in making it in something legitimate.  

posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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To answer desolation's question: the reason our prison population has increased way out of disproportion to the population is not because of crime but because of policy changes.

1989- Sentencing guidelines - meant that the average person convicted would serve a longer sentence and parole release was abolished

1994- Measure 11- made HUGE increases in sentence lengths will no early release for any reason.

Here's an example of policy: In Sweden the average prison term for all offenders is 4 months. In the USA, the average prison term for all offender is 8 years. Think about that. It's not crime, it's policy that makes the difference.

posted 4 years ago
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I campaigned for Measure 57 and I would love to see it delayed. Like many people, I voted for it because Measure 61 would have been a disaster.

In 1978, Oregon had 2600 people in prison. Now we have almost 14,000. That’s an increase of about 600%. By comparison, our state population has increased about 40% over that time. We spend over one billion dollars annually on corrections. Our state spends a larger portion of its budget on corrections than any other state.

This is madness. People often come out of prison in worse shape than when they go in. They are not any more prepared to hold a job, raise a family or participate in public life. We are disenfranchising a huge number of people with these policies.Until recently, prisons have always been about rehabilitation and trying to encourage good behavior in people. Now they are human garbage cans. Our mentality is one of waste management. It’s very sad. It’s actually something that I believe is threatening the well-being of our whole society and the future of our democracy.

Jeff

Milwaukie, OR

posted 4 years ago
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