Crime

In the first half of 2007, the U. S. experienced a 1.8% decrease in violent crimes and a 2.6% decrease in property crimes.

Fred Monem, former Food Services Administrator for Oregon Department of Corrections, and his wife were indicted by a federal grand jury in October. Charges included conspiracy, bribery, mail fraud, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Property crime in Oregon plunged 16.6% from 2005 to 2006, according to data recently released by the FBI.

Fred Monem was in charge of purchasing food for the Oregon Department of Corrections until his arrest for accepting bribes. While he was receiving awards from the state for one of the lowest amounts spent on food per prisoner in the country, the federal government alleges that he and his wife took over a million dollars in bribes and kickbacks from food distributors.

Partnership for Safety and Justice believes public safety is best served by promoting policies that rely on youth going through juvenile court rather than the adult criminal court system. Adolescence is defined as the transitional time in which a child is becoming, but is not yet, an adult. Our human brain is not fully developed until our early twenties. Treating youth as if they are adults in the criminal justice system just doesn't make sense.