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        December Newsletter and Featured Article

December 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 221 KB)

Multnomah County, Oregon Approves New Policy on Youth Detention
 
On Thursday, December 18, the Board of County Commissioners for Multnomah County, Oregon unanimously approved a resolution, proposed by Commissioner Lisa Naito, to place youth in juvenile detention rather than the county jail.

"We have an opportunity to protect young people and enhance public safety," says Commissioner Lisa Naito.  "Thankfully, our Corrections Deputies are doing their jobs and protecting these young offenders that end up in jail instead of the Donald E. Long Center.  We haven't had any recent incidents between adult and juveniles in Multnomah County jails, but we don't want to wait and act after something has happened." 

Current policy in Multnomah County allows youth to be placed in the county jail if they are charged as adults. In practice, the county usually does not house youth in the adult jail. However, there have been instances where youth have been placed in the adult jail in recent months.  To clarify the county's policy of placing youth in juvenile detention rather than adult jail pretrial, Commissioner Lisa Naito spearheaded an effort to pass a countywide policy.

"Multnomah County has been leading the nation in developing approaches to reduce youthful offending that are now being use in 100 communities around the country," says Judge Nan Waller, the County's chief family law judge. "By memorializing what we have been doing, the County is keeping pace with national best practices to enhance public safety, and keep young people safe."
 
The resolution cites the recent research on how youth are developmentally different from adults and states that programs designed for youth are not available in the county's jail.  The resolution requires that youth in custody in Multnomah County be held at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Home unless the Sheriff and the Director of the Department of Community Corrections, or their designee, agree to alternate placement.  

"With our partners, we will continue to safely manage these young people, meet their educational, treatment and counseling needs, and provide services geared to reduce their chances of re-offending," says David Koch, Assistant Director, Juvenile Services Division, Department of Community Justice.
 
CFYJ applauds Commissioner Lisa Naito on her leadership in spearheading this resolution! Congratulations to the Board of County Commissioners for Multnomah County, the Department of Community Justice, and the Partnership for Safety and Justice for their work on this effort.

For a copy of the resolution, visit:

http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/cc/WeeklyAgendaPacket/12-18-08_R-07/RES_JuvenilesInCustody.doc. 

Past e-Newsletters

November 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 215 KB)

October 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 214 KB)
September 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 150 KB)

August 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 129 KB)

July 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 208 KB)

June 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 214 KB)

May 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 184 KB)

April 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 208 KB)
March 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 160 KB)

February 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 220 KB)

January 2008 CFYJ Newsletter (PDF 244 KB)

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