State forecast shows a significant decline in imprisonment over the next 10 years

The Oregon State Correctional Institution east of Salem (Salem Reporter file photo)

The incarceration rate in Oregon’s prison system is projected to fall 15 percent over the next decade due in large part to sentencing reform.

The projection, done by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services and published Oct. 1, found that recent legislation lowering mandatory minimums for crimes like theft and identity theft is the driving force behind the reduction. The constitutionality of that…