Oregon Senate Bill 422
This bill eliminates fees and court costs associated with juvenile delinquency matters. The bill also provides for the appointment of court appointed counsel at the state’s expense in all juvenile …
An Assessment of Access to and Quality of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Oregon
This assessment examines how and when youth access counsel, the quality of representation they receive, and the systemic impediments that prevent youth from receiving high-quality representation. Over the course of …
Oregon House Bill 4210: An act relating to driving privileges
This bill ends Oregon’s practice of suspending driver licenses for nonpayment of traffic tickets. The provisions of this bill are effective beginning October 1, 2020. You can read the full …
Mendoza v. Garrett
This case challenges the state of Oregon’s policy of suspending the driver’s licenses of people who cannot afford to pay fines and fees for traffic violations.
Personal Narrative: Gloria
Gloria owed $2,812.38 in court debt and her driver’s license was suspended. She could not afford to keep up with the court’s payment plan because she already struggled to buy necessities for herself and her children. She continued to drive with a suspended driver’s license to take her children to the school, to get to work, to buy groceries and other basic things. There was no reasonable alternative for her.
Personal Narrative: Cindy
Cindy owed $11,282.77 to three courts. It was impossible for her to pay that amount to have her license reinstated. It was difficult for her to find work near her home so she was forced to drive on a suspended license.
Oregon SB 691: Eliminates certain driving privilege suspensions.
This bill would limit a court's ability to suspend a defendant’s driver’s license, repeal a number of statutes that treat driver’s license suspension as an enforcement mechanism for unpaid fines and fees, and amend several other statutes.
Oregon SB 360: An Act Relating to Reentry
This Act directs Oregon counties to create community service programs that allow parolees to participate in lieu of paying certain types of debts such as court-appointed attorney fees.
Graduating Economic Sanctions According to Ability to Pay
This article focuses on a potential reform with increasing bipartisan support: the graduation of economic sanctions according to a person’s financial circumstances, also known as "day fines" or "means-adjusted fines."
Oregon HB 2424: Directs Department of Transportation to create program by which certain persons may apply for reduction or waiver of moneys owed to department. […]
This bill directs Oregon’s Department of Transportation to create a program that allows certain individuals who have had their driver’s licenses suspended to apply for a reduction or waiver of the criminal justice debt that prevents them from regaining driving privileges.