Oregon’s 36 district attorneys are some of the most powerful actors in the public safety system, and about half of them are running for reelection in the May 17 primary election. Whether or not your district attorney’s name is on your ballot, this is an ...
10 May 2022 - Shannon Wight
Scores of COVID-19 deaths in Oregon’s prisons underscore the failures of America’s carceral system E xpendable. The word refers to something that is normally used up or consumed in service, or something that is more easily replaced than rescued, salvaged ...
10 Mar 2021 - SR editorial board
The ballot measure would reform Oregon's approach to drug addiction The overdose epidemic, housing crisis, COVID pandemic and policing disparities have many Oregonians eager to find something to be hopeful about. That’s why we’re excited to tell you ...
30 Sep 2020 - Haven Wheelock and Steve Rudman
It’s time to divest in prisons and invest in BIPOC crime survivors and communities instead The racism inherent in our criminal justice system is finally being widely recognized — for centuries, Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other people of color have been ...
2 Sep 2020 - Shannon Wight and Amy Davidson
A compassionate approach to first response is popular, and we need that compassion to spill over to more areas The Portland Street Response pilot is a reality. This is a big opportunity, Portland. Now, let us take this will toward compassion, and extend i ...
22 Nov 2019 - Kaia Sand
Oregon House Bill 3145 would bring indigent defense more in balance with the prosecution “Public defense is in a crisis in Oregon.” These are the words of Eric J. Deitrick, general counsel for the Office of Public Defense Services, the very agency charge ...
31 May 2019 - SR editorial board
The new law also expands access to drug treatment for people who need health care more than social retribution In what was a contentious and often disappointing 2017 state legislative session, one measure stands out as a monumental benchmark. HB 2355, sig ...
14 Jul 2017 - SR editorial board
COMMENTARY | Oregon legislators are considering a bill that reflects these preferences Crime survivors have a seat at the public safety table, but to ensure that criminal justice policy solutions reflect victims’ needs, advocates should always seek more w ...
19 May 2017 - Talia Gad
COMMENTARY | For too long, the voices of victims and survivors have been overlooked by the criminal justice system A few years ago, I worked with kids from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. I was invited to a summer training to lead activities designed ...
27 Apr 2017 - Amy Davidson
House Bill 2355 would defelonize low-level possession charges, emphasize public health The travesty of the so-called war on drugs plays on a constant loop, destroying lives, families and communities, and starting over with each generation. It continues, s ...
6 Apr 2017 - SR editorial board