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Oregon Public Defense Commission reports drop in unrepresented cases but cites capacity challenges
Summary
Interim OPDC executive director Ken Sancherkin said the state’s unrepresented‑defendant caseload has declined about 25–30% over the past year, crediting special dockets, consortia and trial‑team deployments; he warned that Multnomah County and other large jurisdictions still face capacity and data‑churn challenges.
Ken Sancherkin, interim executive director of the Oregon Public Defense Commission, told the House Interim Committee on Judiciary on Nov. 18 that statewide interventions have produced measurable improvements in the unrepresented‑defendant crisis but that capacity challenges remain in large counties.
"Whether we examine a 12‑month trend overall or look at the previous highs... we're down either by a quarter, or 30% looking at our unrepresented crisis across the state," Sancherkin said, attributing gains to a combination of new…
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