Audit reveals Multnomah County jail sanction days have more than doubled over 6 years

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Although the number of people on supervision at Multnomah County jails has declined since before the pandemic, an investigation found they’ve been held for more than twice the amount of days.

Early on Thursday, the Multnomah County Auditor’s Office released its report on the Department of Community Justice’s technical jail sanctions from 2019 to 2024. The audit revealed that the number of supervised individuals dropped from 11,089 to 6,613 over the six years, while the number of average sanction days surged from 5.5 to 13.2 in the same period.

The auditor’s office explained that probation and parole officers sometimes issue jail sanctions for people who violate the conditions of their post-prison supervision. The latest report noted that most jail sanctions are for technical violations, which range from contacting an individual named on their no-contact list, to failure to attend a supervision visit.

“Supervision and its challenges often affect more than the individual; they can also impact families and communities,” the audit reads. “Some of the challenges come from stigma related to supervision status and its influence on the ability to find jobs, housing, and fully participate in the community. These challenges most directly impact communities that are overrepresented in the criminal justice system.”

The report shows that Black and Native American people are over-represented in the group of people currently being supervised by DCJ. According to the audit, some interviewees said the stipulations for post-prison supervision are “overwhelming” — and one claimed parole and probation officers don’t explain how to prevent jail sanctions.

Others said officers “ignore and dehumanize” the Black individuals they work with. County auditors added that DCJ lacks culturally specific resources. They found that the department’s gang unit is almost entirely staffed by white probation and parole officers, despite the fact that Black people make up for more than 50% of the population on supervision.

Auditors also determined jail sanctions disproportionately impact people with mental health conditions. Individuals with a history of a mental illness were likely to have more sanction days than those with a high-risk score, or those in any other demographic factor, according to the report. Specifically, investigators found that people with serious mental illness experienced jail sanctions for 14 days longer than their counterparts.

“Among those on supervision, there are some who have a history of serious mental illness documented by the Sheriff’s Office or the county Health Department, but without documentation by DCJ. This means DCJ is unlikely to provide the individuals with potentially beneficial services, such as assigning them to the Mental Health Unit or making referrals for a mental health evaluation,” the report added.

The Auditor’s Office has called on the community justice department to address the racial inequities in jail sanctions and improve access to mental health referrals and culturally responsive resources, among other recommendations.

In response, county leaders accepted or partially accepted all recommendations. Some recommendations were only partially accepted due to barriers like state funding and limited resources.