Press Release: Youth, Rights & Justice Urges Governor Brown to Quickly Sign Landmark Bill Eliminating Juvenile Fees and Fines in Oregon Salem, OR (6/28/21) – Last week, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 817 (SB 817), a major bipartisan reform … Read More
The constitutionally defined day that the legislative session must end is called “sine die” (pronounced like sigh-knee die). For the 2021 session, constitutional sine die is June 27. Legislative leadership set a goal for the session to end by June … Read More
While changing terminology in the juvenile code may seem inconsequential, words matter. That’s why Youth, Rights & Justice proposed and supports SB 436 and the changes in language it makes to the juvenile code. Right now, youth who commit crimes … Read More
Building off years of reform efforts and in partnership with a broad cross-section of local stakeholders, Multnomah County is hosting an examination and transformation of juvenile probation. Supervising Attorney Lisa Kay Williams serves on the project steering committee, along … Read More
In late 2016, the staff at Youth, Rights & Justice noticed that a number of our clients in foster care were being housed in hotel rooms for long periods of time — weeks or even months — rather than … Read More
This month, Staff Attorney Jordan Bates is celebrating 10 years at Youth, Rights & Justice. Jordan, a Portland native, shared her thoughts on how her community and the world of public defense has changed since she first started at … Read More
The 2021 Oregon Legislative Session begins this week and, although this session looks different from years past due to the restrictions in place from COVID-19, there are many important bills that could shape the future of juvenile justice in Oregon. … Read More
For many youth, the gateway to incarceration begins with a referral from the classroom to the courtroom. Youth involved in the juvenile justice system are at serious risk of being pushed out of school and pulled into a mass … Read More
The following is an excerpt from a longer memorandum YRJ has written to address the issue of a child’s right to counsel in dependency cases. “High quality legal representation is essential to a well-functioning dependency system.” Oregon Task Force … Read More
By Natalie Hollabaugh | YRJ Law Clerk 2020, Lewis & Clark Law J.D. Candidate 2021 and Maggie Carlson | YRJ Staff Attorney The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) is a federal law that was enacted in 19971 out … Read More