Oregon Jails During COVID-19

Hosted by:

Karen James

Produced by:

KBOO

Program::

Prison Pipeline

Air date:

Mon, 06/08/2020 - 6:30pm to 7:00pm

Oregon Jails During COVID-19

Karen James interviews Sarah Radcliffe, attorney with Disability Rights Oregon, who released her new report “Oregon Jails During COVID-19: a look inside 26 county jails” on April 30th. In response to COVID-19, Oregon county jails released nearly half their jail populations. We’ll talk about this unprecedented release of prisoners during the pandemic and how we can seize this opportunity to stop future unnecessary incarceration.

DRO's Policy Recommendations:

New legislation that gives sheriffs or jail commanders greater discretion to release people with minor pending charges, especially if they have health conditions that are difficult to care for in jail.
Courts reassess their recognizance release criteria to prevent penalizing people who are homeless, unemployed, or have unmet behavioral healthcare needs.
District Attorneys decline to proceed on low-level cases, especially where there is a nexus to disability.
Law enforcement continue to operate with the expectation that jail is only an option if a risk to public safety is present.