Oregon’s district attorneys have long been at odds with left-leaning lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates in Salem. But nothing has inflamed hostilities like a recent newspaper op-ed by a former DA who compared property theft to sexual harassment and assault. Recently retired Clatsop County DA Joshua Marquis wrote an op-ed for the Portland Tribune
Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill said this week that his office “made mistakes” by prosecuting some mentally ill homeless people accused of low-level crimes, and pledged to instate policies that “roll back the punitive sanctions” employed at times by his agency. In an interview Tuesday at his office in the county courthouse, Underhill said
Multnomah County prosecutors have been breaking an Oregon law for decades. After questions raised by a public defender and WW, they pledged to abandon the illegal practice. District attorneys are required by state law to file a record with the court whenever a grand jury dismisses a felony charge. Before such a case can go
The Oregon Supreme Court handed criminal justice reform advocates a victory Thursday—and potentially saved the state from having to build a new prison. In 2017, the Oregon State Legislature passed a law that eased sentencing rules around property theft. By shortening the length of sentences for those convicted of theft, the bill aimed to help
A new report gives progressives a major victory in Oregon’s long-running battle over criminal justice reform. Prosecutors said a 2017 law requiring the recording of grand jury proceedings would lead to disaster, but their predictions turned out to be wrong. “By all accounts, the implementation of Senate Bill 505 has gone smoothly,” says Mary Sofia,
A Springfield police officer has resumed patrol duties after prosecutors declined to file assault charges against him in connection with an April incident that left a man with injured ribs. Ryan Stone was on administrative leave for eight months while police investigators and prosecutors reviewed his conduct. He returned to duty this week, Springfield city
For decades, Portland Public Schools protected a teacher with a history of sexually abusing students, covering up for him by ignoring complaints about his behavior and allowing him to continue his assaults. We know this sordid tale thanks to Bethany Barnes of The Oregonian, who early this year wrote detailed investigative reports about PPS’s actions
By david rogers The Oregon District Attorneys’ Association (ODAA) recently had their summer conference, but not everyone was happy with the speakers. The association flew in the chief prosecuting attorney from St. Louis County, Missouri, Bob McCulloch. McCulloch had just made news because he lost his re-election bid in what was the hottest race in
The Oregon District Attorney Association is taking heat from criminal justice reform advocates for inviting a controversial speaker to its summer conference two weeks ago. The organization invited St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, who handled the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. McCulloch’s presentation was ill-received by some of the
With district attorney elections coming up in Washington and Marion counties, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has knocked on more than 15,000 doors in those areas, encouraging people to support prosecutors who shun “tough on crime” policies. But the new campaign, called They Report to You, is running into a problem: While the