Jail free birds

• When inmates outnumber the cells, it’s time for the matrix

By Jacob Quinn Sanders

The Portland Tribune, May 17, 2005, Updated Oct 30, 2009

When masses of accused criminals walk out of Multnomah County jails, they give testimonials the producer of any infomercial would envy.

“It’s the coolest thing that ever happened,” said Stephan Senter, 19, charged with carrying a concealed weapon and released less than 24 hours later. “I thought that I was going to be in here for a lot of years, man. I can jump up and scream and smile and kiss somebody.”

Darrell McElroy, 48, left jail after 25 hours inside, charged with a parole violation after a conviction for theft.

“The good thing about it is if you got a job you won’t lose your job Ñ I can go to work tomorrow,” he said, sounding relieved.

What has them so excited, so breathless?

The matrix.

It is the nebulous name given to the obscure formula that determines who gets released early from Multnomah County jails. Every day, accused and convicted criminals walk out early because people more dangerous walk in. Each gets assigned a number, up to 100, divined from the charges against them plus their criminal histories plus behavior patterns. Those with lowest numbers on any given night Ñ how many depends on how many more bodies come in Ñ go free.

Christopher Boland walked up to the caged window slowly on Sunday night. Senter and McElroy had been released already. Boland took off his hat, showed his plastic jail bracelet to the deputy, and started to sign his paperwork.

Yes, he knew his court appearance was the next day.

Yes, he would go.

Yes, he’s gone through all this before.

Boland, 19, has been in custody four times in Portland and twice has been released early because of scarce jail space needed for people accused of worse. Charged with delivering marijuana and missing an earlier court appearance, Boland got to go free.

“The matrix is a good thing, I gotta say,” Boland said, tugging on his black and orange baseball jersey.

Not for everyone, it isn’t.

Multnomah County Sgt. Linda Hawkins coordinates the releases every night.

“It sucks,” she said.

She estimates that if the county could open the 997 jail beds it owns that lie empty of bodies and the money to staff them, she would matrix out one person every three or four months. Maybe.

From Friday through Sunday, she released 63.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot letting these people go, but there’s only so much room at the inn,” she said.

Multnomah County and the city of Portland have pledged $3.4 million to open 171 more beds for a year. It will help, Hawkins said, but it isn’t enough.

Every night, she checks with Sgt. Muhammad Ra’oof to get the jail count at the Justice Center in downtown Portland. If they anticipate a number higher than 520 Ñ and they do most every night Ñ people go free. Jail officials must get down to 520 people by 4 a.m. when the building is in lockdown. Releases typically occur between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. when public transportation is still running and released inmates are least likely to get stuck downtown.

“All the time you see people walk through here that you know should stay but aren’t going to stay,” Ra’oof said.

He sits just inside the jail’s entryway, where cops bring those they arrested to be frisked, interviewed and processed. Often the first words out of the mouths of the fresh inmates are, “What’s my matrix score?”

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