Grand Jury Says Multnomah County Jails Still in Crisis

A Multnomah County corrections grand jury has released the latest scathing report documenting deficiencies at local jails, following an unprecedented series of inmate deaths beginning in 2022.

“The Multnomah County jail system is in crisis and at risk of jeopardizing public health and safety,” says the report, first summarized by WW in this week’s Murmurs.

The seven grand jurors who toured the county’s three jails and one prison in recent months highlighted two ongoing problems: short-staffing and aging facilities. Corrections deputies still face mandatory overtime on a weekly basis, leading to plummeting staff morale and more frequent lockdowns for inmates.

WW has reported on the dangerous conditions created by staffing shortages for more than a year (“Cell Death,” Aug. 16, 2023).

Grand jurors faulted a lack of accountability in the county’s human resources department. “The primary issue lies in the HR’s hiring process and underfunding for HR staff,” they note.

Meanwhile, the downtown jail is rapidly decaying. A January ice storm left it without power for four days. Nearly 250 tickets requesting maintenance remain open, and 33 toilets are leaky or broken. The county is currently mulling replacing the facility entirely, the jurors report.

They recommend the county create an “interdepartmental staffing task force” and start work on a feasibility study to replace its two aging adult jails.