Thread by @rachelbusygrl

Oh Hi #orleg! I mentioned during my testimony on HB214 last month that good attorneys were leaving criminal defense. With OPDS being broke & the new proposed budget of even less $ for public defense - get ready for even more good attorneys to leave.
oregoncapitalinsider.com/news/state-pub…

Here's an article from 2018 pointing out the Sixth Amendment Center's report that Oregon's public defense system fails defendants & their lawyers.
Its 2021 & we're moving backwards.
#orleg
oregonlive.com/pacific-northw…

Here's the recent Oregon Court of Appeals opinion in McMullin v Amsberry - a PCR case - which #orleg should read in order to better understand why funding for experts & qualified attorneys is so important for public defense:
cdm17027.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collec…

The current recommendation for funding OPDS from the Legislative Fiscal Office is a decrease in funding of 4.5% from the 2019-21 legislatively approved budget.
But while they're cutting funding, the LFO wants OPDS to restructure the whole agency.
#orleg

By cutting the budget the Oregon Legislature is in essence sending the message that they do not value the attorneys across the state who work in public defense, they do not value the investigators, mitigation specialists & all the experts who provide public defense services.

This is shameful. Without qualified attorneys there will be more wrongful convictions, more cases reversed on PCR. Without qualified attorneys it will ultimately cost the state more money for longer prison sentences because there will be less workup & mitigation done on cases.

Here's the proposed public defense budget for 2021-23 from the Legislative Fiscal Office so you can see the decrease in funding is suggested in the very first paragraph:
olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Dow…

Not a single member of the Oregon Legislature can say they are working for criminal justice reform if this decrease is the funding for public defense they support. Until public defense is funded the same as prosecutors offices - the system is not going to change.

My reps are @michaeldembrow & @KhanhPhamForOR & I would ask them to reject this proposed decrease in funding for Oregon public defense. Oregon needs to fund public defense like it matters - because it does.
Call or email your state reps & ask them to fully fund public defense.

@threadreaderapp unroll please