The Center Collaborative: Creative Solutions in Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice: #22 Rethinking our Approach to Misdemeanors

The Center Collaborative

Creative Solutions in Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice

From the Oregon Center on Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice, this series shines a light on partnerships that are moving the dial, leading to better solutions and outcomes for people who may become involved with the justice system due to experiencing behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disabilities, or neurocognitive concerns.

We talk with guests representing prominent voices from government, the judicial system, public safety, healthcare, and the broader community throughout metropolitan and rural parts of Oregon.

#22 Rethinking our Approach to Misdemeanors

Mar 9, 2022

Edward Jones, retired Judge and former Interim Executive Director of Oregon Public Defense Services (OPDS) discusses:

What OPDS does;
Long-term consequences of felonies and misdemeanors;
How misdemeanors can snowball into more serious consequences;
Asking ourselves: is this the right approach for this problem? Is it a criminal justice issue? A public health issue?;
Just sending someone to jail doesn’t address the root issues of the behavior resulting in them to going to jail;
What we can do differently;
Disparities in treatment within the system; and
Thoughtful analysis regarding enforcement and behavior change versus habitual behavior.

For more information about the intersection between criminal justice and behavioral health in Oregon, please reach out to us through our website at http://www.ocbhji.org/podcast and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OCBHJI/. We’d love to hear from you.

For more information about OPDS, please visit their website at https://www.oregon.gov/opds/pages/default.aspx

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