'I would give my life to have 10 more seconds with my son'
EUGENE, Ore. -- Janyce Iturra never imagined that Mary Thompson, convicted of ordering the murder of Iturra's son Aaron, could have her prison sentence reduced -- again -- because of a new law.
"I just don't see any justice," Iturra said. "I would give my life to have 10 more seconds with my son, and that'll never happen. I don't get any good time."
By passing House Bill 3508, Oregon lawmakers hoped to save the state $6 million by trimming 10 percent off the prison sentences of low-risk criminals. Before the bill was passed, some criminals were eligible to have 20 percent of their sentence reduced automatically, called earned time, by enrolling in prison programs and exhibiting good behavior.
The move was intended for thieves and drug dealers, but some violent offenders could get out early, too. For example, Thompson is not eligible to have time reduced from her murder conviction, but for her burglarly and tampering convictions.
Iturra and other victims are outraged.
For example, Charles Wesley Porter, convicted of hiring a hit man to kill a police officer, and Barrak Fikso, a repeat child molestor, also have hearings seeking reduced sentences the same day as Thompson.
"All around the state we've seen examples of victims being damaged psychologically and having to come back and be traumatized," said former Lane County District Attorney Doug Harcleroad of the Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance. "It's not worth the cost. The savings, we didn't save a billion dollars. We didn't save a hundred million dollars."
Another unintended consequence is the extra load on the legal system. At the Lane County Courthouse, where resources are already stretched thin, the courts have held 86 of these HB 3508 hearings since October.
On Tuesday's docket alone there were 12. Court employees said that is far more than they expected.
Sen. Floyd Prozanski crafted the bill. Is the bill working how he envisioned?
"For the most part yes," he said. "Just like any large piece of legislation, we need to reflect as to how things are actually playing out."
Prosanski plans to ask lawmakers to exempt more crimes from HB 3508 at a special session in February. He said inmates like Mary Thompson would not be eligible for the 10 percent if those changes are made.
"What we have to do is balance through a larger perspective," the senator said. "If we want to be focused exclusively on the detention of individuals in the public safety system, that's one approach. We felt it was more important to have a holistic approach to public safety."
Prozanski said the extra earned time contributed to restoring and preserving public safety services, including nearly 50 Oregon State Police jobs, a juvenile detention center in Burns, among other services.
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