What Are Measure 11 Crimes in Oregon? Offenses, Sentences, and Juveniles

Measure 11 crimes in Oregon are a set of more than twenty serious felonies that carry mandatory minimum prison sentences, ranging from 70 months (five years and ten months) to life. The law, codified at ORS 137.700, was approved by voters in 1994. It removes a judge’s discretion to sentence below the statutory floor and shuts off parole, post-prison supervision, temporary leave, and earned-time credits during the mandatory term.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 137.700 – Offenses Requiring Imposition of Mandatory Minimum Sentences

The Full List of Measure 11 Offenses

Each offense has a fixed minimum measured in months. A judge cannot go below that number regardless of the defendant’s history or the circumstances of the case.

Homicide

Assault

Sex Offenses

Other Covered Felonies

  • First-degree kidnapping: 90 months (7.5 years).
  • Second-degree kidnapping: 70 months (5 years, 10 months).
  • First-degree robbery: 90 months (7.5 years).
  • Second-degree robbery: 70 months (5 years, 10 months).
  • First-degree arson where the offense posed a threat of serious physical injury: 90 months (7.5 years).
  • Using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct: 70 months (5 years, 10 months).
  • Compelling prostitution: 70 months (5 years, 10 months).1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 137.700 – Offenses Requiring Imposition of Mandatory Minimum Sentences

What “Mandatory Minimum” Means in Practice

The number of months on the statute is the number of months a person serves. During the Measure 11 term, there is no parole, no post-prison supervision release, no temporary leave, and no reduction for good behavior or earned time.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 137.700 – Offenses Requiring Imposition of Mandatory Minimum Sentences This is the point that surprises people used to how other Oregon felonies work, where inmates can shorten their time through credits. Under Measure 11 those mechanisms are closed. A 90-month sentence for first-degree robbery means 90 months behind bars.

Aggravated Murder Is Sentenced Differently

Aggravated murder is the one Measure 11 offense without a fixed month figure. The three options are death, life without the possibility of release, or life with a minimum of 30 years before parole eligibility.2Oregon Public Law. Oregon Revised Statutes 163.105 – Sentencing Options for Aggravated Murder Sentencing runs through a separate penalty-phase proceeding under ORS 163.150. A person given the life-with-30-year-minimum option cannot be released on parole, post-prison supervision, work release, or any temporary leave during those 30 years. Oregon has held a gubernatorial moratorium on executions since 2011, but the death sentence remains on the books.

The Narrow Exception for Some Second-Degree Sex Offenses

Four offenses can, in specific circumstances, be sentenced under standard sentencing guidelines instead of the Measure 11 minimum: second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy, second-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and first-degree sexual abuse. Every one of the following must be true: the victim was not under 12, the defendant was no more than five years older than the victim, consent was not obtained through violence or threats, and the defendant has no prior Measure 11 convictions or certain other serious criminal history.3Oregon State Legislature. Measure 11 – Background Brief If any condition fails, the mandatory minimum applies.

How Measure 11 Applies to Juveniles

When Measure 11 passed in 1994, anyone 15 or older charged with a covered crime was automatically prosecuted as an adult and faced the same mandatory minimum.3Oregon State Legislature. Measure 11 – Background Brief Senate Bill 1008, passed in Oregon’s 2019 session, changed that. All youth now begin in juvenile court. To try a 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old as an adult on a Measure 11 charge, the prosecutor must file a motion for a waiver hearing, and a juvenile court judge decides whether transfer to adult court is appropriate.4Oregon State Legislature. SB1008 2019 Regular Session – Overview The mandatory minimum is no longer automatic for young defendants; it depends on the judge’s transfer decision.

Second Look Hearings for People Sentenced as Youth

Under ORS 420A.203, a person is eligible for a “second look” hearing if they were under 18 at the time of the offense and were sentenced to at least 24 months in prison following a waiver to adult court or under Measure 11.5Oregon Public Law. Oregon Revised Statutes 420A.203 – Eligibility for Second Look; Report to Sentencing Court The sentencing court revisits the sentence after the person has served a significant portion of it and decides whether continued imprisonment still serves public safety and justice or whether a modified sentence or conditional release is appropriate. For teenagers given long Measure 11 terms, this is often the only realistic route to shorter incarceration. The second look process does not apply to adults sentenced under Measure 11.

Plea Bargaining Around a Measure 11 Charge

Measure 11 does not ban plea bargaining, but it changes what a deal can look like. Because a judge cannot reduce the mandatory minimum, the only way to escape it is for the prosecutor to reduce the charge itself to something outside Measure 11. Deals often split the difference: the defendant pleads to a lesser offense but agrees to a sentence longer than standard guidelines would produce for that lesser crime, resulting in a term shorter than the Measure 11 floor but longer than the ordinary sentence for the reduced charge.3Oregon State Legislature. Measure 11 – Background Brief Whether such an offer is on the table depends on the strength of the evidence and the district attorney’s office handling the case.

Consequences That Continue After Release

A Measure 11 conviction reaches past the prison term. Federal law permanently bars anyone with a felony conviction from possessing firearms. Oregon licensing boards can deny or revoke professional licenses based on felony convictions, which affects careers in healthcare, education, law, and many trades. Landlords routinely screen out applicants with violent felony records. Voting rights are suspended during incarceration in Oregon and automatically restored on release. Even after every month of the mandatory minimum is served, the conviction continues to shape employment, housing, and civic life.