Oregon’s Tough-on-Crime D.A. Association Faces a Reckoning
Three district attorneys are speaking out against Oregon’s “one-strike-you’re-out” law and breaking ranks with a prosecutors’ lobby that has long pushed for harsh policies.
Oregon
Piper French
Oregon Bill Would Enable People to Vote from Prison
The reform would be a historic step for national efforts to end felony disenfranchisement. Prison is not about “the loss of citizenship,” said one incarcerated advocate.
Oregon Could Become the First State to Decriminalize Drugs in November
A ballot initiative could decriminalize low-level drug possession and fund addiction treatment.
Progressive Winner in Portland D.A. Race Expects ‘Shock Waves’ in Oregon’s Punitive System
“Multnomah County has just embraced the most progressive DA platform that this state has ever seen,” said Mike Schmidt, who credited grassroots organizers for his win.
Oregon’s D.A. Elections Mock Democracy, Again
DAs keep resigning in election years, and governors keep appointing deputy prosecutors who then get to face voters as incumbents. It happened again this year.
“It Is Public Safety to Get People Out of Incarceration”: Q&A with Portland D.A. Candidate
Michael Schmidt, who is running for DA in May in Oregon’s largest county, shares his views on criminal justice reform during and beyond the pandemic.
With New Law, Oregon Joins Wave of States Restricting or Halting the Death Penalty
Senate Bill 1013 is not retroactive, but Governor Kate Brown has the power to commute death sentences.
Oregon Overhauls Its Youth Justice System
New law abolishes life without parole for minors, expands opportunities for early release, and restricts the prosecution of children as adults.
Things We Didn’t Know Needed to be Banned: Using Attack Dogs on Incarcerated People
Oregon is considering legislation banning the use of attack dogs on incarcerated individuals.
2018 Election Preview: Measure 105, Oregon
Oregon’s 30-year-old ‘sanctuary’ law is under threat