Episode 1: Ricky’s Dilemma

Episode 2: Voices for Victims’ Rights

Ricky will spend his 21st birthday much like his 18th—incarcerated—as he works to win his freedom. Occasional visits and FaceTime calls are his only connection to family. But what about the rights of victims’ families. Ronita Sutton and Steve Doell pose compelling challenges to legislative reforms. This episode was produced by Ed Madison and Sararosa Davies, along with a team of alumni and current students at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Our partners on this project are OPB, The Oregonian and Willamette Week.

Episode 1: Ricky’s Dilemma

Oregon’s Measure 11 legislation is a hold over from the “tough on crime” ’90s, dictating mandatory minimum sentences for certain felony offenses and disproportionally affecting young men of color. In 2019, legislators limited the law’s impact on juveniles, but reforms were not made retroactive, leaving young offenders like Ricky Gaters with few choices other than to petition Governor Kate Brown for clemency or request post conviction relief. Ricky chose the latter, a process fraught with peril.