The Oregonian: Where should Oregon commit taxpayer money? Pressure for both prisons and preschools as governor forges her spending blueprint
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Carl Filler, state policy analyst with the Justice Action Network, said public safety considerations alone should drive decisions about prison closings.
The Justice Action Network is based in Washington, D.C. and works with Republicans and Democrats at the federal and state level. Filler testified in July in support of closing the two prisons.
In an interview this week with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Filler said multiple studies have shown that prisons don’t offer meaningful economic benefit to communities. Many prison workers don’t live in the communities where prisons are located, and communities’ use of prison labor may supplant work for local businesses, he said.
“There really isn’t a moral or economic case to build or continue to maintain these prisons,” he said.