SB 1027 wants to remove the word ‘prisoner’ from statutes
By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 30th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – Senate Bill 1027 is still alive in the Oregon Legislature. The legislation, which is sponsored by the Senate Judiciary Committee, has prosecuting attorneys opposing it because it rewrites the parole procedure for those convicted of murder. Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson said that he knew from first glance that he was opposed to it.
“If you do a search for it, one of the first things you’d see that it does is go through and try to remove the world ‘prisoner’ from the statutes,” he said.
The bill proposes substituting “person” or “adult in custody” for prisoner.
That’s only the beginning.
Nelson said that if it passes, the measure would require the parole board to release from prison those convicted of murder without demonstrating that they have been rehabilitated and are no longer a threat to the community. Currently, that is required under Oregon law. Under the proposed bill the parole board would be required to release the prisoner 60 days after their murder review hearing, which, Nelson said, is not the same as requiring evidence of rehabilitation.
