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Public Safety Strategies Task Force to Look at Links Between Foster Care and Public Safety
Rep. Shields to chair meeting October 29th from 11 a.m. to 2:30 PM at the State Capitol, HR 357 
Portland, Ore., Oct. 24, 2008 - Examining the link between foster care and the criminal justice system will be the focus of a meeting of the Public Safety Strategies Task Force scheduled for Oct. 29 at the State Capitol. The hearing begins at 11 a.m. in Hearing Room 357.
The Task Force will take a hard look at the link between poor foster care outcomes and entrance into the criminal justice system. The challenge is clear: between 25 and 41% of former foster youths spend time in prison. One study found that the arrest rate is 67% higher for youths previously in the child welfare system compared to those never in that system.
"Right now, children coming out of foster care face a quality of life far below those who have never been in the system," said Rep. Chip Shields (D-Portland). He and his spouse Shelda Holmes have been Oregon foster parents. "If we want to give our most vulnerable children hope for a better future, we need to reduce foster care placements, improve the outcomes for kids in foster care and ensure that foster parents have the training and support to provide a healing home for these needy children. Otherwise, we are simply pushing along a 'cradle to prison' approach that ends up costing everyone."
The Task Force will hear from author Dr. Terry Levy of the Evergreen Psychotherapy Center in Colorado. Dr. Terry and Michael Orlans authored "Healing Parents: Helping Wounded Children Learn To Trust and Love." They conduct foster parent, caseworker and adoption trainings nationally. Dr. Levy will be talking by speaker phone at 11 a.m. about best practices in foster care training and will discuss what foster parents need in order to become healing parents to children coming from lives of abuse and neglect.
Other presenters include members from Children First for Oregon and the Department of Human Services. The full agenda can be seen by clicking here . In July of 2007, the Public Safety Strategies Task Force was born out of HB 3563 with a mission to look at criminal-justice policy and make recommendations for the 2009 Legislative Session. With Rep. Shields as the Chairman, the Task Force has tackled such issues as reducing recidivism of offenders returning to the community, evidence-based practices and public policy options, barriers to successful re-entry of offenders, and children in the corrections system. For more information, please see the Task Force website at www.toughandsmart.net .
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