Mr. Krug tries to keep the above balance each day while he is at work. He strives each day for community safety, as well as provides opportunities for the offenders to work and live. It is very important that each offender has what they need, receiving the treatment and education required to become a productive member of society. Measure 11 in the community makes this hard for him. He believes that it takes the law out of the hands of judges and places it in the hands of politicians. He believes the punishment needs to fit the crime. While agreeing that jail is needed for offenders that are not able to be rehabilitated, there are circumstances where a first-time offender or someone with a lesser crime would be much better off on probation. On probation they are still working, making money, taking care of their families and contributing to the tax base of the community. Overfilling our jails with salvageable individuals doesn’t do anything but cost us tax dollars. In his opinion Measure 11 does not serve us in a positive way. Sentencing would be better left in the hands of judges that we elected to do their job justly and with integrity.
As many Parole and Probation officers, he has a heart for his community, offenders and victims. He does his job with caring and professionalism, integrity and passion. He spends extra time each week teaching parole and probation classes at the local community college. He explains the parole and probation process with intelligence and inspires others with his passion and zeal. Officer Krug is the reason that this process works so successfully. His ultimate goal is to see the offender succeed without reoffending as well as have the victims feel they have gotten the justice they deserved.
Does Measure 11 sentencing as tracked by each states make a difference in the amount of crime recidivism rate? Recidivism is the behavior of a repeat or habitual criminal. It is a measurement of the rate at which offenders commit other crimes, either by arrest or conviction baselines, after being released from incarceration. Both state and federal laws have been enacted in an attempt to reduce the number of repeat or habitual offenses. Any time an offender reoffends it affects the recidivism rate of the state they offend in. The point is to not have them reoffend whether that means by a long sentence or by going down the road of parole and probation.
For juveniles particularly, including them in adult Measure, 11 crime definitions may not address this issue. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon says, “ Trying young people as adults makes it more likely they will re-offend if they were handled in the juvenile justice system. Advances in understanding adolescent brain development clearly show that youth are different than adults and explain why youth age out of criminal and impulsive behavior. 15 – 18 year old juveniles that commit measure 11 crimes are then subjugated to being raised by the department of corrections. There are more cost effective and proven approaches to reducing youth crime and recidivism. Prosecuting youth as adults creates systematic barriers that prevent successful reentry into the community and increase the chances of reoffending.” At a time when they are still very pliable and easily influenced, they are thrown into a world of grown up criminals and expected to figure out right from wrong. Many juvenile offenders have not been in serious trouble until a first time Measure 11 offense. Measure 11 makes it impossible for the judge to look at the family, criminal history, the nature of the crime and what the person was