Sarah Mullen, executive director of the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, told the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 13 that the county’s pretrial subcommittee will deliver options to the board in response to a budget note by March 1, 2026. "We are here to update the board on our progress toward creating options for a new pretrial release system," Mullen said during a detailed presentation that laid out guiding principles and program concepts.

The presenters described the county’s current process, noting that the county now administers the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) at booking and has risk information for 100% of people charged with Multnomah County offenses. Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Lowe described arraignment practice and statutory release criteria used in court decisions, while Judge Michael Greenlick said judges consider probable-cause affidavits, victim-safety concerns and failure-to-appear history when setting release conditions. "Presumption of innocence is the keystone to our criminal justice system," Greenlick said, describing how courts weigh evidence in release hearings.

The subcommittee—composed of county departments, courts, the DA’s office, public defenders, law enforcement and community providers—outlined a menu of concepts rather than a single plan. Common themes included a support-focused model that centers least-restrictive conditions, warm handoffs to community services at release, peer navigators, accessible sites near the jail, expanded use of court reminders via the Odyssey system and limited, targeted electronic monitoring for cases with victim-safety concerns. Presenters cautioned that electronic monitoring is costly and often only passively monitored, whereas reminders and supportive services have stronger evidence for improving court appearance.

Stacy Redding, executive director of Multnomah Defenders, highlighted research linking pretrial detention with harsher outcomes: "People who are detained in custody are far more likely to receive a prison sentence," she said, noting the effect holds when controlling for case seriousness. Jeffrey Lowe added the system’s practical pressures, saying there are "more than 15,000 bench warrants outstanding in Multnomah County," which contributes to court congestion and churn.

Presenters flagged several near-term steps: a PSA validation report expected in the next 2–3 weeks, a cost analysis with the central budget office, data-governance work to produce a demographic and monitoring-level snapshot by the end of the month, and ongoing transition planning with the sheriff and Department of Community Justice to mitigate effects from closing the 'closed street' program. The subcommittee emphasized equity considerations—who benefits, who is burdened, and how to measure success—while acknowledging a constrained budget.

No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about disability-related bias, success metrics (failure-to-appear rates, outstanding warrants, new arrests while on pretrial release), and alignment with service partners. The presenters committed to producing options that include measurable indicators and to return with a March 1 report that outlines recommended models, projected costs and implementation considerations.

Next steps: the subcommittee will continue meetings through January and February, finalize draft options and data snapshots, and present a report to the board by March 1, 2026.