On Tuesday, July 7, Deschutes County will host the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) as part of the commission’s ongoing work to learn how state-funded programs work at the local level.
The CJC awards state grants to community-based programs that improve public health and safety and reduce recidivism. In Deschutes County, several programs funded through the CJC, will present during the meeting, including:
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Deflection Program:
The Deflection Program helps people struggling with addiction get quick access to treatment. People do not have to be involved in the justice system to ask for help. In many cases, however, participants enter the program after they are arrested on drug charges and choose treatment instead of jail.
The program’s goal is to help participants reach 90 days of sobriety. Since the program began in 2024, 51 people have reached that goal and graduated. Their success goes beyond sobriety. Many graduates have regained custody of their children, found jobs and secured housing. Others are no longer involved in the justice system. Three graduates became certified recovery mentors and now help others struggling with addiction.
Community Justice’s Gender-Responsive Program:
This program was launched by Deschutes County Parole and Probation in 2023 to better meet the needs of women under supervision. Research shows women often enter the justice system for different reasons than men and benefit from services that address trauma, relationships and stability.
In Deschutes County, 153 women are on supervision. Three dedicated parole and probation officers work with this population, focusing on the root causes of criminal behavior and connecting participants with community-based support. A key part of the program is Moving On, an evidence-based treatment program that helps women build personal responsibility, improve relationships, manage stress and connect with resources.
District Attorney’s Office Emerging Adult Program:
The Emerging Adult Program offers eligible young adults an alternative to the traditional court process through restorative justice. The program focuses on accountability, repairing harm, and connecting participants and victims with community services. It also helps reduce the number of cases entering the court system and allows successful participants to avoid the long-term consequences of a criminal charge.
The program works in collaboration with Deschutes Defenders, Restorative Justice and Equity, Thrive Central Oregon, and the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council. It has served 111 young adults, with an 82% graduation rate and a 19% recidivism rate. Most participants leave the program with a better understanding of how their actions impact others, a chance to make amends, and with greater stability in their lives.
District Attorney’s Office Organized Retail Theft Program:
The Organized Retail Theft Program helps Central Oregon respond more effectively to organized retail theft. Through partnerships with the Bend and Redmond police departments, the program is building a more coordinated approach to investigating retail theft cases and sharing information across agencies and jurisdictions.
The program has supported a series of listening sessions with local retailers to identify needs and priorities, launched a regional chapter of the Oregon Organized Retail Crime Association, and is developing a public awareness campaign. These efforts are helping improve and enhance how our community responds to organized retail theft.
Deschutes County Stabilization Center:
The Stabilization Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to help community members experiencing a mental health crisis. Services include walk-in crisis assessment and stabilization, adult 23-hour respite, and peer support.
In the past six years, the center has served more than 12,000 walk-in clients. A total of 213 clients said they would have ended their lives if they had not received services at the Stabilization Center, and nearly 4,000 others said they did not know what they would have done without it.
The CJC meeting will begin at 9:45am on Tuesday, July 7, in the Deschutes Conference Room at the County’s Community Justice Department, located at 63360 NW Britta St., Building 2 in Bend.
Board of County Commissioners Chair Phil Chang and Deschutes County Circuit Court Judge Randy Miller, chair of the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, will attend and give opening remarks. The CJC will hold its regular public meeting after the program presentations.
For more information, visit the Criminal Justice Commission website.
