In the Multnomah County criminal justice system, people have posed tough questions for two separate groups: the sheriff’s office that investigates crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their answers. Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese and District Attorney Rod Underhill are both elected officials. And in a left-leaning city like Portland,
District attorneys have collectively been the largest roadblock to modernizing and reforming our justice system. This is one of the reasons the ACLU of Oregon just launched a major, multi-year campaign for district attorney reform, called They Report to You. Specifically, we’re educating the public about who district attorneys are, why they matter, and how
It’s essential that the state follow through on this effort by ensuring that community-based correctional programs are properly funded. Prisons, of course, are by far the most expensive stop on the corrections program. Which is why community-based programs, done right and funded adequately, can be considerably more cost-effective than prison and help reduce recidivism rates.
Johnson has maintained his innocence for twenty years. Now, his counsel, Steven Wax of the Oregon Innocence Project, is asking for DNA testing of 38 samples from the crime scene. Many of them were never tested; others were tested using an older DNA test that has fallen out of use because it is not as
I was angry to hear that the most powerful person in our county’s criminal justice system thinks that racial disparities aren’t a problem. When the ACLU of Oregon launched the “They Report to You” campaign to educate voters about district attorneys, Clackamas County DA John Foote could have embraced the new initiative. After all, a
Prosecutors have one big reason to protect harsh sentencing: Today, around 95 percent of federal and state criminal cases end in a plea bargain. Such agreements, in which the defendant pleads guilty in exchange for a fixed sentence, avoid the time and expense of a jury trial, making it faster and cheaper for prosecutors to
Across America, some prosecutors—arguably with the authority of state and federal laws—are jailing innocent crime victims and witnesses, in hopes of insuring their testimony in court. In Washington State, a sexual-assault victim was arrested and jailed to secure her testimony against the alleged perpetrator. (He was found guilty of kidnapping, attempted rape, and assault with
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon just launched a major, multi-year campaign to reform our state’s criminal justice system. We want to improve the system so it is more fair, just and effective. But instead of focusing on police departments, sheriffs’ deputies or judges, we’re focusing on 36 individuals who most Oregon voters know
A recently launched American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon campaign about the role of district attorneys has stoked debate. “They Report to You” points out that many district attorney races go uncontested, which the ACLU of Oregon argues is stunting criminal justice reform. Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote responded by accusing the ACLU of
The ACLU of Oregon launched a campaign on Sunday aimed at upping voter participation next spring from Oregonians across the state. The campaign focuses on district attorneys, the most powerful elected officials in the criminal justice system. And with 36 counties in Oregon – which means 36 district attorneys – the civil rights organization wants