Prosecutorial Racism

According to the W. Haywood Burns Institute for Justice Fairness and Equity 2019, R.E.D Report (which based its study on data received from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office), Black adults in Multnomah County were:

• 4.9 times more likely as white adults to have a case received and reviewed by the DA’s office.
• 4.8 times more likely as white adults to have a case issued for prosecution.
• 4.7 times more likely to be booked in jail for a felony than white adults.
• And though black adults only make 6% of Multnomah County’s population compared to 74% white adults, in 2019- black adults were a tragic 8.3 times more likely to be held in jail before their trial date than white adults.

Aliza Kaplan, Professor and Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic Lewis & Clark Law School, testified the following regarding a hearing on passing Senate Bill 819A: 

“In this moment where we are reexamining many of our policies through the lens of racial justice, we must recognize that numerous aspects of Oregon’s criminal justice system are disproportionately applied to people of color, especially Black Oregonians. Problematic or unfair sentences impact people from all demographics, but they are profoundly devastating in under resourced communities. Black, Indigenous, and people of color are more often convicted of longer sentences for the same crimes as their white counterparts. According to the Sentencing Project, there are 5.6 Black men for every white man in Oregon’s prisons. Many of these cases deserve another look by our prosecutors. The Oregon tax payer money that is currently spent to keep a disproportionate number of Black individuals in prison would do more to improve public safety if it was available to be used on effective policies and programs instead.”

Aliza Kaplan, May 18, 2021