Maybe the Honest People Should Move In


This jail, completed almost 2 years ago, has yet to open its doors.

Multnomah County, in charge of Portland jails, can't afford to open it.

"We held a ceremony, cut the ribbon — then locked the doors," says Sheriff Bernie Giusto, who attended the dedication in the summer of 2004.

Flat-screen televisions adorn the walls in each dorm, where the ceiling soars 30 feet high. The county spent more than $600,000 on art for the jail, including the sculpture — meant to evoke river pilings — out front.

"The public has this image of inmates rattling tin cups on bars," Giusto says. "Take a look around. There aren't gun ports on the ceilings. Look at the colors. Private showers. If I didn't tell you this was a jail, you'd never know. Right?"

Multnomah County last year released a record 5,000 criminals: drug dealers, burglars, car prowlers and assorted con men, many of them drug addicts or mentally ill. Police say the situation has fueled an explosion in property crimes and has increasingly meant the release of dangerous criminals.
The revolving door is the chief reason that Portland's rate of property crimes — burglaries, car and identity thefts, vandalism — has risen to double the national rate in recent years, police officials say.

Sounds like Oregon has some serious economic troubles.
Read the LA Times Article

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