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Oregon Public Defense Commission outlines reforms, timeline to move toward state-employed defenders
Summary
The Oregon Public Defense Commission told the Senate Judiciary Committee it has expanded oversight, opened three state trial defender offices, and laid out steps under Senate Bill 337 to phase out fixed-fee contracting and expand state-employed and hourly-paid counsel.
The Oregon Public Defense Commission told the Senate Committee on Judiciary during an informational hearing that it has tightened oversight of public defense, opened three regional state trial defender offices and is implementing the service-delivery changes required by 2023’s Senate Bill 337.
"We are a mission driven agency, and we are everyday working to fulfill our mission," Jessica Campey, executive director of the Oregon Public Defense Commission, said as she opened a rapid overview of the agency’s recent changes and near-term plans.
Campey said the commission’s reform work grew out of a 2019 Sixth Amendment Center study that identified four main problems in Oregon’s public defense system, including unclear oversight, the drawbacks of a fixed‑fee case model, governance composition issues, and concerns in municipal courts. She told the committee the agency has since made…
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