xii, 101 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This thesis examines the significant expansion of prisons in Oregon in the last fifteen years. In order to explain the evolution of Oregon's prison growth, the thesis analyzes the ways discourses and representations of crime have justified and explained voter approval for punitive policies in Oregon. Drawing from multi-disciplinary literature that documents the central role played by issue framing and discourse construction in political conflicts, I use the case of the 1994 campaign in which key crime initiatives were passed by Oregon voters. The thesis argues that policy decisions and election outcomes are closely related to long-standing perceptions of"insiders" and "outsiders" as a way to view societal problems. Utilizing an extensive media analysis, this thesis considers how political narratives have influenced the passage of ballot measures committed to a punitive direction in crime policy. / Committee in Charge: Professor Daniel HoSang, Chair; Professor Daniel Tichenor; Professor Joseph Lowndes

This thesis examines seven crises at the Oregon State Penitentiary between 1866 and 1968 which are symptomatic of a larger pathology of power at play at the institution. These prison crises brought the pathology of power out from behind the thick grey walls of the institution and to the eyes and ears of an uninformed public. This arousal of such attention forced the prison to re-evaluate its penal model, enact half-hearted reforms, but then resume to the institution's traditional pattern and style of punishment. This inability to address the crises or resolve the immediate problem points to a larger problem-namely a pathology of power. The pathology of power is evident in the prison administration's abuse of the political, financial, and physical power that the prison offers. This pathology is innate to the philosophy of the institution, regardless of the penal model then in application (rehabilitative or disciplinary).