Compact?

When I think of the word ‘compact’ I usually imagine the circus skit where a small car drives into the center ring at Ringling Brothers. A string of clowns proceed to alight from the vehicle, at some point you realize they are the same clowns, somehow getting back in and then reemerging from the vehicle as if by magic. The crowd laughs at the impossibility of what you believe you are seeing…

When we finally submitted Jace Washington to Oregon Interstate Compact application, I was hoping the word compact in this scenario would resemble more of a Smart car, than the string of never ending clowns!

From what we understand this particular version of a compact has many moving parts – the application goes from Jace ‘Counselor’ to the Washington state interstate compact office. They look it over and send to the Oregon state interstate compact office. A corrections officer will be assigned to do an investigation of the requested transfer.

When Oregon is satisfied with the requested transfer plan, they notify the Oregon interstate compact office of their approval, or denial. In turn the Oregon interstate compact office reports back to the DOC counselor who originally submitted the request as to the acceptance status of the request. If the request was accepted by Oregon the request then goes back to the ISRB board (CCB) in Washington state. You remember the CCB? The people who interviewed Jace and told him on July 10th that he COULD be released on Spetember 22nd as the Judge in Jace case had sentenced.

They get AGAIN to decide if they agree with the inmates plan and choices. They COULD, at this time, or anytime really, choose to not accept the plan or add whatever stipulations to the transfer that they so choose.

Then back to the counselor, back to the Washington Interstate compact office and again back to the Oregon interstate compact office. At which time a release date, I’m told a REAL one, will be decided.

A ‘compact’? What about this process sounds compact?!?