Oregon's overburdened public defender system addressed in bill passed by legislature

The bill would begin to change Oregon’s practice of contracting private public defenders without offering competitive pay, which has led to chronic shortages.

SALEM, Ore. — Editor’s note: Updated Wednesday, June 21 with the news that SB 337 has now passed both the Senate and the House.

The Oregon legislature on Wednesday approved a bill meant to finally address the state’s overburdened public defender system, a systemic problem that only became more acute coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oregon’s public defense system is unique in the U.S. because it relies entirely on contracted law firms and private defense attorneys. Because of the state’s

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