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"The Multnomah County Jail System is in crisis and at risk of jeopardizing health and safety."
That's the finding from the 2024 Multnomah County Corrections Grand Jury report, released by District Attorney Mike Schmidt on December 3rd.
Oregon state law requires an annual grand jury inquiry into the condition and managment of every adult and youth correctional facility in the county.
These include the Multnomah County Detenion Center (MCDC) and the Multnomah County Inverness Jail, which are both operated by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO).
Also included is the Donald E. Long Juvenile Justice Center, which is operated by the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice Juvenile Division, and the Columbia River Correctional Institution, which is operated by the Oregon Department of Corrections.
The executive summary of the report reads in part, "The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has experienced many difficult years surrounding staffing and facilities. The Multnomah County Jail System is in crisis and at risk of jeopardizing health and safety. All stakeholders expressed frustrations with the compounding effects of the ongoing MCSO staffing shortages."
It continues, "The criminal justice system is also severely impacted by the shortage of court appointed attorneys for people charged with crimes. The buildings and facilites that house Multnomah County Jails, in particular MCDC are rapidly deteriorating. They are not adequately addressing the population's mental health and substance abuse needs."
The Corrections Grand Jury made priority recommendations in the areas of staffing, mental health and substance use disorder services, transitional housing, attorney access, communication and replacement facilities.
On that last point, the Grand Jury Report recommends that MCSO initiate a feasibility study to replace their two aging jails, the Detention Center, and the Inverness Jail, "with a goal of identifying a location that coudl consolidate operations into one facility."
A copy of the full Multnomah County Corrections Grand Jury report is available at the Multnomah County DA's Office website.
- KBOO