Oregon lawmakers hear plan to ease surge of unrepresented criminal cases

Co-chair Evans called the Public Safety Subcommittee to order May 15 in Hearing Room H‑174 to hear updates from the Oregon Public Defense Commission, the Oregon Judicial Department and district attorneys on the state’s unrepresented-defendant crisis.

The crisis “continues to escalate, rising 55% in the last year,” Nancy Kozine, State Court Administrator, told the panel, adding: “There are now just under 4,400 unrepresented individuals in 4,780 cases.” That caseload is concentrated: “Around 94% of the unrepresented crisis is found across these 6 counties,” Ken Sandshagrin, interim executive director of the Oregon Public Defense Commission, said.

Why it matters: judges, prosecutors and defense officials said the lack of available counsel is delaying or stopping case resolution, increasing risks to victims and communities, and driving higher downstream costs. Multnomah, Washington and Marion counties were singled out for the largest backlogs; Multnomah shows both rising out‑of‑custody cases and a higher share of serious offenses, including unlawful possession of weapons.

What the agencies reported: Kozine said the crisis rose 55% year over year…