Oregon Public Defense Commission Unveils 12-Month Plan to Address Statewide Defender Shortage

Oregon is addressing a critical public defender shortage through a 12-month, seven-point plan introduced by the Oregon Public Defense Commission (OPDC) under interim executive director Ken Sanchagrin. At Governor Tina Kotek's direction, the plan aims to reduce the number of unrepresented defendants, which remains high despite a 30% decrease in in-custody individuals without lawyers since January 2025. The strategy focuses on increasing attorney capacity by hiring new lawyers, allowing experienced attorneys to exceed caseload limits voluntarily, expanding contracts with law firms and nonprofits, and engaging supervised law students to provide defense services. The crisis is most acute in six counties, including Multnomah and Washington, where unrepresented cases have grown significantly. While the plan does not set a specific end date for the crisis, officials expect noticeable relief in the most affected areas by mid-fall 2025. Lawmakers and legal experts have praised the plan as a necessary improvement to ensure timely, constitutionally mandated legal representation for all defendants.