According to a recently published grand jury report on the condition of Multnomah County’s jail system, the county’s detention center in downtown Portland is having difficulty keeping up with basic facility maintenance, and persistent staffing shortages have reached a crisis point.
A group of seven jurors performed the annual report, visiting all four of the county’s correctional institutions and interviewing staff, inmates, and public officials.
The jurors concluded that the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office’s long-standing staffing shortfall had lowered the standard of care for individuals detained and damaged staff morale.
According to the research, there were three recorded deaths in 2022 and an unusual seven reported deaths in 2023 among inmates at county institutions. This represents a concerning increase from the pre-COVID-19 era, when fatalities were uncommon.
According to the report, the county is compelled to close units when staffing is exceptionally short, which means that inmates in certain facilities may go days without exercise or leisure time.
According to the report, it is harmful by any measure to spend all 24 hours of the day by yourself, only eating and sleeping.
The investigation also revealed that the jails have been using pricey travel nurses because they haven’t been able to fill less expensive permanent posts, which has negatively impacted in-custody medical care.
The jury concluded that the underfunded human resources department is the root cause of the staffing issue, which has resulted in delays in hiring new employees. The report also pointed out that even though hiring has been identified as an issue in grand jury findings for years, county leadership has not taken any action to remedy the personnel crisis.
The jurors raised concerns regarding the jails’ physical state in addition to the continuous staffing shortages.
Following their tour of the 43-year-old Multnomah County Detention Center, the jurors said that the facility was rapidly deteriorating due to years of ongoing maintenance problems. Older electrical systems, dirty water, and nearly 250 open repair requests from 2022 were all observed or discussed by the jurors.
Thirty-three toilets were either leaking or barely working when the jurors toured the facility.
According to the article, jurors were momentarily confined in the elevator car at the downtown Portland jail in 2023 after an elevator malfunctioned.
According to the research, there has been little to no effort made toward a long-term solution despite years of reports of comparable maintenance problems.
The building could not be readily strengthened and would not survive a significant earthquake, according to a 2017 grand jury investigation. The sheriff’s office is just now beginning to discuss replacing the building, which horrified the jurors in the 2024 report.
The jurors made simple suggestions: shorten the time it takes the sheriff’s office’s human resources team to hire deputies; monitor the prevalence of mental health issues among inmates; and enhance defense attorney access to expedite case resolution and the flow of individuals through the system.
The verdict also suggested that a new, unitary facility be built to replace the deteriorating Multnomah County Detention Center and the Multnomah County Inverness Jail.
Deputy John Plock, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, released a letter sent by Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell to District Attorney Mike Schmidt on November 26 in response to a question about the grand jury findings.
I am grateful to the Grand Jury for drawing attention to the urgent need to address
In the letter, she mentioned staffing concerns. Our request for a $965,885 budget amendment to enhance our Human Resources Unit and cover several unfunded positions was accepted this month by Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
She continued by saying that she concurs with the panel that the county had to carry out a feasibility assessment to see whether constructing additional detention facilities is feasible.
Crime, public safety, and local news are all topics covered by breaking news reporter Tatum Todd. You can contact them at 503-221-4313 or [email protected].
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