State hearing previews statewide deflection report and data; officials cite implementation gaps, rural challenges

A legislative informational hearing on statewide behavioral‑health deflection on March 1 heard a preview of a best‑practices report and an update of early program data showing hundreds of referrals but significant drop‑offs before enrollment and uneven county coverage.

Dr. Elizabeth Waddell, a researcher with the OHSU‑PSU School of Public Health, read the working definition the team used in its review: “Collaborative intervention connecting public safety and public health systems to create community‑based pathways to treatment for people who have substance use disorders, mental health disorders, or both, and who often have other service needs, without entry into the justice system.” She said the full report will be published on April 1.

The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) presented statewide figures drawn from arrest, court and program dashboards. Ken, a CJC staff member, said the commission logged just over 5,000 possession‑related arrests statewide between Sept. 1 (when recriminalization began) and the first week of February. Of those arrests, he said about 3,100 drug‑enforcement misdemeanor cases were filed in circuit court; roughly one‑quarter of arrests were for stand‑alone possession. Ken also reported, from county REDCap program reports, 894 deflection referrals for 841 people so far, with enrollment falling short of referrals in many counties.

Why it matters: lawmakers and local officials told the committee that the new statewide deflection effort is meant to give law enforcement an alternative to arrest and to connect people quickly to treatment, housing and social services. Presenters said the state has an opportunity to learn which local models work and whether eligibility or operational rules should be broadened.

Key program elements and evidence

Researchers emphasized that local programs use multiple referral “pathways.” Waddell and other presenters described six commonly used pathways: self‑referral; active outreach by teams;…