Measure 11 Crimes

“Measure 11” is a shorthand description of a variety of state crimes that carry mandatory prison sentences. These crimes include all versions of Manslaughter, Kidnapping, and Murder,and some versions of Assault, Robbery, Rape and Sex Abuse. Moreover, these crimes apply to anyone 15 years old and older, which means that defendants as young as 15 are automatically remanded into adult court when charged with Measure 11 offenses. You can find a list of Measure 11 crimes at ORS 137.700.

Since the passage of Ballot Measure 11 in 1994, there have been changes to the law that allow some defendants, even if convicted of specific Measure 11 crimes, to escape Measure 11 sentences. For example, a person convicted of Sex Abuse in the First Degree, or Robbery in the Second Degree, may either receive the mandatory 70 months in prison, or, if certain conditions are met, he or she may receive a sentence as low as probation.

On the other hand, Robbery in the First Degree, for example, does not have an “escape hatch.” No matter how sympathetic a defendant’s situation may be, the judge must impose 90 months in custody on a conviction for Robbery in the First Degree or Kidnapping in the First Degree.