Oregon
Oregon public defenders warn of ongoing crisis as defendants remain without representation
The exterior of Deschutes Defenders office at 215 NW Greenwood Ave., in Bend, Ore., on Sept. 2, 2024. This week, Oregon’s state court administrator warns of the statewide shortage of public defenders that has left many defendants without legal representation.
Winston Szeto / OPB
The number of people who have been accused of a crime and are without an attorney — a constitutional right — has reached an all-time high in Oregon.
In the last month alone, the number of unrepresented individuals increased by 11%, Nancy Cozine, the state’s top court administrator, told state lawmakers this week.
Oregon’s shortage of public defenders has been a high-profile problem for several years. But the latest numbers illustrate the disheartening reality that even after lawmakers funneled more than $90 million more into the system in 2023 and dedicated brain power to fixing the problem. It’s not been enough.
As of the end of January, there were 4,178 individuals who didn’t have an attorney statewide. The highest number of individuals in this situation are in Multnomah (1,172), Marion (756), Jackson (754), Washington (628), Douglas (253) and Coos counties (99).
Another eyebrow-raising statistic: 731 people who have been without representation for more than six months. Most of the people are currently not incarcerated; 191 are in custody.
The bulk of the charges are driving under the influence of intoxication, which is nearly 17% of the cases. For out-of-custody felony cases, the average wait time to get an attorney has increased to an average of 110 days.
Oregon lawmakers consider bill to overhaul public defense system
Amanda Dalton, a lobbyist with the Oregon District Attorneys Association, told lawmakers this week, it’s not just misdemeanor crimes that are going unchecked. There are worse crimes where people are being let out of custody because there are no attorneys. Like a case in Douglas County, where a person is being accused of raping a minor and spent 22 months without counsel. The person was released because no attorney was present.
The problems in the system were identified years ago. In 2018, a report found that Oregon’s system of state public defense is so bureaucratic and structurally flawed it couldn’t guarantee clients were getting the legal defense they are owed — a requirement of the U.S. Constitution. The constitution requires a defendant who cannot afford to hire their own attorney to be provided counsel at public expense.
In 2023, lawmakers made substantive changes to the system; although even then there were calls from public defenders that they didn’t go far enough. The public defense commission, the independent body that is appointed by the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court, said they are in the midst of trying to fix a complicated system that has been broken for years and it’s a long process. The commission hired a new leader in late 2022, after the head of the commission was ousted.
The head of Oregon’s public defense system is fired, after months of tumult
Most recently, there has been some high-profile disagreements over how to frame the crisis. During an interview with OPB last month, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez offered a sharp critique of many of the county’s public defenders.
“I call it the work stoppage,” said Vasquez, who took office last month.. “I hear it referred to as a defense attorney crisis. I don’t accept that. I don’t agree with that terminology. I see it much differently.”
Following the comments, many public defenders have expressed concern and anger over Vasquez’s remarks.
Stacey Reding, executive director of Metropolitan Defenders Inc., said “calling it a work stoppage is insulting.”
Multnomah County’s new top prosecutor will push for more jail beds to curb substance use, calls out public defenders
Reding said she’s had high turnover in her office. New attorneys often have less experience, she said, and can’t take as many cases as the lawyers they’re replacing.
“Our district attorney’s office could take actions that would help with the public defense crisis,” Reding said. “In Multnomah County, our attorneys prepare a lot of cases for trial that turn into dismissals on the eve of trial. If our district attorney’s office could identify those cases that are dismissals much earlier in the process and dismiss them, that would save many hours of defense attorney time that we could then turn around and focus on taking new cases.”
The National Weather Service says there is no tsunami threat following a magnitude 5.5 earthquake off the Oregon coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck at 4:35 a.m. about 175 miles southwest of Eugene, Oregon, at a depth of about 6 miles in the Pacific Ocean.
National Weather Service says no tsunami threat after 5.5 quake off Oregon coast (KVAL/SBG)
The earthquake occurred in the Blanco Fracture Zone, a seismically active area where hundreds of earthquakes occur each year.
There have been no reports of residents along the southern Oregon coast feeling the quake.
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This is a developing story.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Department of Human Services is asking for help finding a 2-year-old boy who is believed to be in danger.
Armani Andrews disappeared on June 17 and is thought to be with someone in the Portland area, officials said.
He’s about two feet tall with brown hair and brown eyes and African American/mixed race, ODHS said.
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Armani Andrews (file, courtesy Oregon Department of Human Services). -
Armani Andrews (file, courtesy Oregon Department of Human Services).
Locations around Portland that the child may have frequented include the Rose Haven shelter on Northwest Glisan Street, the Multnomah County Central Library on Southwest 10th Avenue and Southeast Portland between 82nd and 103rd avenues.
People who have any information about Andrews’ whereabouts are asked to call 911.
Every year, there are always a few recruiting races that are anything but normal. Twists and turns should be expected on the recruiting trail, but you can still always count on a surprise or two.
The Oregon Ducks have already landed four commitments along the offensive line in the 2027 recruiting cycle, most recently scoring three-star Lex Mailangi. The Ducks are still pushing for one more, however, and it’s the biggest of them all.
Five-star offensive lineman Ismael Camara has taken several visits to Eugene, including one earlier in the spring. However, the Texas star canceled his tour of official visits to finish high school early and give Gilmer High School his best effort on the field in the fall.
Those plans changed quickly when he opted to take unofficial visits to SMU and Texas in June. After once appearing to push his recruitment to the fall and commit closer to early signing day, it’s clear that Camara is now open for business, and he could be moving quickly toward a decision.
When Camara left Eugene in the spring, the Ducks were perceived as a favorite in the race. However, after spending time away and connecting with programs in his home state of Texas, Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman believes Texas is now in the lead, and was told by one of Camara’s family members that a commitment could be coming soon.
While the Longhorns are in charge, SMU, LSU, Texas A&M and Oregon all still remain involved. While he has been able to tour the Texas programs this month, Camara has remained in touch with the Ducks over FaceTime.
“Just fantastic coaches and options all around,” Camara’s guardian, Todd Robison, told Rivals. “We are also in touch regularly with Tennessee, LSU, A&M, and Alabama. He also has had very well-attended FaceTime calls with the entire staff at Oregon. He feels the love for sure.”
The Ducks still appear to be in good standing with Camara, but the inability to get him on campus this month is a big setback. Even if Camara does commit over the summer, the Ducks will likely push hard to get him back to Eugene in the fall for another visit. Don’t expect Oregon to give up on this race until pen hits paper on signing day.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
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