Portland Jailblazers

Interesting article (with not so surprising results) by Chris Lydgate in WSJ's Opinion Journal. We, in this case it's Oregonians, have no trouble finding ways to waste money. Build a prison and then let it stand empty, makes little sense, does it?

In Oregon, criminals run free while a prison stands empty.

PORTLAND, Ore.--Last month, Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto gritted his teeth and released 391 inmates from the county jail, including legions of drug dealers, drunk drivers, burglars, car prowlers, identity thieves, check forgers and assorted rip-off artists.

This spectacle has become numbingly familiar in Portland, a laid-back city that is suffering from an acute shortage of jail beds, a surge in property crimes, and a spike in methamphetamine use that led the state Legislature this week to pass a law requiring a doctor's prescription for cold and allergy medicines that could be used to make "meth." So far this year, Sheriff Giusto has sprung more than 2,700 inmates--and a town that prides itself on its progressive image is confronting a crisis in public safety."