LINDSAY
LINDSAY NADRICH TOOK AN IN- DEPTH LOOK AT THAT PROGRAM AND
MET SOMEONE ELSE WHO GRADUATED
FROM IT.
FROM IT.
FROM IT. >> EVEN THE COPS CALLED ME
CRAZY CAROL, SO MY STORY GOES I
WAS AN ADDICT CHILD.
I GREW UP IN A DRUG HOME THAT
WAS PRETTY -- THERE WAS NO
CONNECTION OF ANY KIND IN A
POSITIVE MANNER.
POSITIVE MANNER. WE WERE BASICALLY RAISED ON AND
TAUGHT HOW TO BE A CRIMINAL.
>> Reporter: CAROL'S LIFE HAS
BEEN FAR FROM EASY.
>> I'M JUST GOING TO PUT IT OUT
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. LIKE, I WAS PEOPLED OUT AS A
BABY BY MY MOTHER.
AND IT REALLY CHANGES YOUR MIND
AND YOUR SOUL.
SO MY LIFE JUST PRETTY MUCH
SPIRALLED.
SPIRALLED. >> Reporter: ADDICTED AND
HOMELESS, CAROL FOUGHT FOR HER
LIFE ON THE STREETS OF
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND. >> SO I JUST STAYED IN MY TENT
ON THE STREETS AND DID THE BEST
I KNEW TO SURVIVE.
AND THE STREETS ARE HARD ON
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. LIKE, IF YOUR SOUL IS ALREADY
BROKEN, THE STREETS WILL BREAK
YOU MORE.
YOU MORE.
YOU MORE. >> Reporter: SHE WAS BROKEN AND
CAUGHT IN A PATTERN OF SELF-
DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR.
DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR. >> I WENT IN AND OUT OF PRISON
FOR A WHILE.
>> Reporter: AND SHE ADMIT THAT
IS CYCLE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE
CONTINUED.
CONTINUED. >> I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY FOUND
A METH PIPE BECAUSE I WOULDN'T
HAVE KNOWN ANYTHING DIFFERENT.
>> Reporter: SHE BARELY
REMEMBERS THE ASSAULT THAT
LANDED HER IN JAIL.
IT WAS JULY 13, 2014 P HER LIFE
WAS IN A FOG.
SHE WAS HIGH ON METH, DRUNK,
AND HAD BARELY SLEPT IN WEEKS.
COURT DOCUMENTS SAY SHE
ATTACKED ANOTHER HOMELESS WOMAN
WITH A GLASS BOTTLE.
BUT THAT ATTACK BECAME A
TURNING POINT.
TURNING POINT. >> I FINALLY HAVE A LIFE.
LIKE, I'M 51 AND I KNOW WHAT
LIFE IS.
LIFE IS.
LIFE IS. >> Reporter: THE ASSAULT CHARGE
QUALIFIED HER FOR A PROGRAM
CALLED THE MULTNOMAH COUNTY
JUSTICE REINVESTMENT PROGRAM OR
MCGRP FOR SHORT.
BUT LET'S PUT CAROL'S STORY ON
PAUSE FOR A MOMENT SO YOU CAN
UNDERSTAND WHY I'M TALKING
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. I HEARD ABOUT CAROL'S STORY
BECAUSE OF A MAN NAMED BRIAN
LANGFORD.
LANGFORD.
LANGFORD. LIKE CAROL, HE WAS ARRESTED
MULTIPLE TIMES.
MULTIPLE TIMES. SO MANY TIMES THAT HE'S NUMBER
FOUR ON THE LIST OF REPEAT
OFFENDERS IN MULTNOMAH COUNTY.
SINCE 2008, HE'S BEEN BOOKED
INTO JAIL 146 TIMES.
HE'S BEEN ARRESTED TWICE IN THE
SAME DAY.
SAME DAY.
SAME DAY. SOMETIMES IT WAS ON BACK-TO-
BACK DAYS AND SOMETIMES IT WAS
MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK.
SO SOMEONE LIKE BRIAN LANGFORD,
FOR EXAMPLE, HE'S NOW ON HIS
68th CONVICTION, PEOPLE SEE
THAT AND SAY HOW IS THAT
ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?
>> IT'S AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF
CONVICTIONS FOR SURE.
BUT WHEN YOU GO THROUGH HIS
HISTORY AND LOOK AT IT, A LOT
OF IT IS MINOR STUFF.
>> Reporter: SENIOR DEPUTY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY NATHAN
VASQUEZ SUPERVISES THE
NEIGHBORHOOD AND STRATEGIC
PROSECUTION UNIT.
PROSECUTION UNIT. HIS OFFICE WORKS TO FIND
SOLUTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
CHRONIC OFFENDERS.
CHRONIC OFFENDERS. >> THESE ARE LOW LEVEL
MISDEMEANORS, BUT IT DOESN'T
FEEL THAT WAY TO THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE CONTINUALLY VICTIMIZED.
>> SOMETIMES THESE HAVE REAL
LIFE IMPACTS ON PEOPLE AND THAT
CAN NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
>> AND IN MY CASE, SEEING A
SITUATION WHERE I HAVE THE
FOURTH HIGHEST REPEAT CRIME
OFFENDER OF MULTNOMAH COUNTY
FOR BOOKINGS, NOT BEING
CHECKED, I HAVE A HARD TIME
WITH THAT.
WITH THAT. >> Reporter: WHEN YOU ASK
TIFFANY HAMMER ABOUT BRIAN
LANGFORD, YOU CAN FEEL HER
ANXIETY AS SHE FLASHES BACK
THROUGH THAT DAY.
SO MUCH SO THAT SHE ASKED ME TO
RETELL IT INSTEAD.
IN AUGUST 2017, TIFFANY AND HER
THEN 9-YEAR-OLD SON LEFT THEIR
PROPERTY NEAR 14th AND
MONTGOMERY IN GOOSE HOLLOW.
THEY FORGOT SOMETHING, SO THEY
QUICKLY CAME BACK AND FOUND TWO
PEOPLE SHE RECOGNIZED AS
HOMELESS CAMPERS FROM HER
STREET TRYING TO BREAK IN.
ONE LEFT BUT THE OTHER, BRIAN
LANGFORD, STAYED, SWINGING A
TREE BRANCH AND YELLING AT
TIFFANY AND HER SON.
THEY RAN BACK TO THEIR CAR FOR
SAFETY WHERE THEY FELT TRAPPED
UNTIL POLICE SHOWED UP.
>> THAT WAS THE HARDEST PART
FOR ME IS THE FACT THAT MY
LITTLE BOY WAS SO SCARED AND
UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY
SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO HARM US
ON OUR PROPERTY AND NOT LEAVE
US AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS.
>> IT TOOK A WHILE, BUT IN
OCTOBER, LANGFORD WAS FINALLY
SENTENCED TO 36 MONTHS OF
FORMAL PROBATION THROUGH THE
MULTNOMAH COUNTY JUSTICE
REINVESTMENT PROGRAM.
REINVESTMENT PROGRAM. HIS OUTCOME REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
BUT THIS IS WHERE WE GET BACK
TO CAROL, SHE WAS IN THAT SAME
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM. AND FOR HER IT WORKED.
>> I JUST KNOW I WOULDN'T BE
THE PERSON I AM TODAY WITHOUT
THE DESIGN OF THIS PROGRAM, OF
HOW IT WORKS.
>> Reporter: SO HOW DOES IT
WORK?
WORK?
WORK? INSTEAD OF GOING TO PRISON,
PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAM GET
INTENSIVE SUPERVISION WITH
TREATMENT FOR THINGS LIKE
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL
HEALTH.
HEALTH.
HEALTH. THEY'RE ALSO CONNECTED TO
HOUSING, MENTORING, AND
EMPLOYMENT.
EMPLOYMENT. >> I THINK THIS PROGRAM IS ONE
OF MU WAYS THAT CAN BETTER HELP
FOLKS MEET THEIR NEEDS, REDUCE
THEIR RISK AND STOP A LIFE OF
CRIME, REPAIR HARM TO THE
COMMUNITY AND REALLY GET OUT OF
OUR SYSTEM.
OUR SYSTEM. >> Reporter: ABBY STAMP, THE
DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY
COORDINATING COUNCIL, SAYS THE
PROGRAM IS AIMED AT THE HIGHEST
RISK AND HIGHEST NEED
DEFENDANTS.
DEFENDANTS. >> IF SOMEONE IS ARRESTED 50
TIMES, AND THEY ARE CONVICTED
50 TIMES, IS ARRESTING AND
CONVICTING SOMEONE WORKING?
THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A VERY
VALUABLE INTERVENTION IF
SOMEONE CONTINUES TO CYCLE
THROUGH.
THROUGH.
THROUGH. >> Reporter: ELIGIBILITY FOR
THE PROGRAM IS BASED ON THE
CRIME COMMITTED.
CRIME COMMITTED. THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD
OTHERWISE GO TO PRISON WHICH
MEANS PEOPLE WHO COMMIT LOW
LEVEL MISDEMEANORS DON'T MEET
THE CRITERIA.
THE CRITERIA. THAT'S WHY BRIAN LANGFORD
DIDN'T QUALIFY UNTIL TIFFANY'S
CASE.
CASE.
CASE. VIOLENT CRIMES LIKE MURDER OR
KIDNAPPING AREN'T ELIGIBLE.
>> OVER 95% OF THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE IN PRISON COME HOME.
WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS WORK
UP FRONT AND IDENTIFY, WILL
FOLKS REALLY NEED TO GET ON TO
A PATH OF RECOVERY OR WELLNESS
OR WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR
THE PERSON SO THAT WE DON'T SEE
THEM IN THE SKRUS TIS SYSTEM
AGAIN.
AGAIN.
AGAIN. .
AGAIN. . THAT'S ULTIMATE GOAL.
>> Reporter: WHEN CAROL HEARD
ABOUT IT, SHE WAS SKEPTICAL.
SHE COULD CHOOSE TO GO TO
PRISON OR ENROLL IN THE
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM. ALTHOUGH PRISON SOUNDED EASIER
AT THE TIME, SHE SAID SHE
DECIDED TO TAKE A CHANCE TO
SAVE HER LIFE.
>> THEY DON'T GIVE UP ON YOU
AND THEY HELP YOU LEARN TO
REBUILD YOUR LIFE.
I NEVER HAD A LIFE TO REBUILD,
SO LIKE, I GOT TO BUILD A LIFE.
>> Reporter: CAROL GRADUATED
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. SHE HAS A JOB, A CAR, STABLE
HOUSING AND EVEN A DOG NAMED
SAM.
SAM.
SAM. >>
SAM. >> SMILE FOR THE CAMERA.
YEP.
YEP.
YEP. WITHOUT THIS PROGRAM, I WOULD
HAVE NEVER KNOWN THAT I WAS
WORTHY OF ANY OF THAT.
>> Reporter: CAROL WOULD HAVE
JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM PRISON
RECENTLY, BUT INSTEAD SHE HAS A
LIFE SHE'S PROUD OF.
>> IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT, NO,
I'M WORTH BATTLING FOR.
AND SO I BATTLED FOR MYSELF.
>> CAROL'S NOW BEEN SOBER FOR
FOUR YEARS.
FOUR YEARS. WHEN SHE HITS YEAR FIVE, SHE
WANTS TO BE A COUNSELOR FOR
OTHERS STRUGGLING WITH
ADDICTION.
ADDICTION. AS FOR LANGFORD, SOME PEOPLE
AREN'T HAPPY HE'S NOT IN
PRISON.
PRISON.
PRISON. BUT