Summary: We petition Oregon State and County agencies to suspend implementation of various Residential Treatment Facilities at all current and proposed locations until open and honest negotiations, without predetermined results, have occurred with the affected communities. Oregon State and County agencies have formulated plans, in virtual silence, to house conditional release forensic clients (those found guilty except for insanity) in residential treatment facilities within various neighborhoods. One current example is the Secure Residential Treatment Facility (SRTF) being developed in Milwaukie, OR. Please visit www.ardenwald.org and look for information on the Balfour House. Many of these forensic clients have been convicted of serious and vicious crimes, such as murder, rape, sexual child molestation, assault, and arson. The state claims that public safety is foremost in their considerations for moving forensic clients into the community. The lack of standards--especially security standards--as well as the lack of communication with citizens, law enforcement and other community partners leaves the public to wonder if this is true. By all appearances, this silent plan seems to have been designed to avoid public controversy. As a matter of public policy, this plan is ill-conceived and frankly, wrong. We petition Oregon State and County agencies to suspend implementation of these plans at all current and proposed locations until open and honest negotiations, without predetermined results, have occurred with the affected communities.

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