According to a governmental prediction, Oregon’s monthly prison sentence rate has increased since the pandemic but isn’t anticipated to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2029.
According to the state’s most current corrections prediction, Oregon’s jail population decreased by around 2,500 beds over the course of two years beginning in April 2020.
According to the research, the epidemic drastically disrupted the jail system, resulting in a monthly average of 270 fewer persons being sentenced to prison. This is less than the 400 persons who were condemned each month on average prior to the pandemic.
Currently, about 12,000 inmates are incarcerated in Oregon. According to data, that is comparable to the population figures from late 2002. The population was about 14,000 from 2012 till the pandemic struck in 2020.
The forecast’s state economists predict that systemic problems with the public defense system will be the main cause of the figures’ slower recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
Oregon has fought for years to guarantee that all those facing criminal charges have lawyers selected by the court. Multnomah, Jackson, Marion, and Washington counties are most affected.
According to the most recent data, an estimated 3,800 criminal defendants do not have legal representation. The majority are not in detention.
Officials use the state’s twice-yearly jail population prediction to inform the creation of the correctional budget.
According to state economists, Oregon’s prison population is not expected to increase considerably as a result of House Bill 4002, which was passed last year and made simple drug possession a misdemeanor offense.
Lawmakers expressed their opposition to the incarceration of low-level drug offenders by overturning Measure 110, Oregon’s 2020 drug decriminalization statute.
They provide funding for counties to create diversion programs, which divert individuals caught in possession of minor amounts of narcotics from jail and toward treatment and other resources.
Additionally, the law increased the criminal penalties for drug dealing; however, the jail projection indicates that the number of persons sentenced to prison will only slightly increase as a result of this.
However, it is anticipated that the recriminalization bill will have an impact on probation and jails, resulting in an estimated 4,000 individuals being placed on probation in the upcoming years.
As of Wednesday, about 200 individuals arrested for small drug possession under the new rule have been placed on probation, according to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, a state organization that examines criminal justice data. Over the next two years, officials predict that number will continue to rise.
Criminal justice is the area of expertise for enterprise reporter Noelle Crombie. You can reach her at [email protected] or 503-276-7184.
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