The answer to solving many community-based issues reside within the community itself. The idea of the Community Resource Pilot Project is two-fold. First, the Community Resource List provides an opportunity for community-based organizations interested in supporting people sentenced to a term of probation with either their personal needs, such as securing housing or finding employment, or in their reformation efforts, such as completing their GED or identifying other opportunities to enhance job skills. Organizations interested in serving this population can make that known by joining the Community Resource List.
Second, the Community Resource List serves as a resource for people placed on probation looking for an opportunity to convince a judge to terminate a probation early—the proverbial carrot—based on a showing of their personal reform efforts.
How would the Community Resource List work in practice? The Community Resource List will be available to prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys, as well as the general public. Here is a possible scenario for how it might be used. A person determines it is in their best interest to plead guilty to a misdemeanor offense and is sentenced to 36-months' probation. During sentencing, counsel for defense explains to the Court that the defendant lacks a high school diploma or GED. Defense counsel could argue for including in the judgment, for example, that if the defendant successfully completes their GED within one year (and is otherwise in compliance and completed other conditions), the Court could consider terminating probation early. If included in the judgment, the defendant could contact organizations on the Community Resource List offering GED assistance and work on completing their GED.
Organizations on the list—the Community Resources—are not contracted to the Oregon Judicial Department, the Department of Community Corrections, nor any other governmental agency. However, there would be no limitation on their ability to charge fees for their services, or to seek grant funding for the work they do with our population.
If you would like to be part of this pilot project and included on the Community Resource List, all that is required is that you be an active non-profit organization, a governmental or non-profit educational organization, or a governmental organization. Interested organizations can submit the Community Resource List Interest Form that can be found
here via email to:
Community Resource Information