233 | Lee Wachocki: With Almost 3k People Unrepresented, Why is Oregon adding More Cases to the Public Defender Crisis

Public Defenseless

May 07, 2024•1 hr 9 min

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Episode description

Today, Hunter is once again joined by Lee Wachocki, a Public Defender and union leader in Portland, Oregon. As the Public Defender crisis continues in the state, this week is about figuring out how the state is responding. At the front line level, Lee reveals that little has functionally changed at his level to demonstrate the state is close to solving the problem. In fact, with Oregon recriminalizing drug possession, the state appears primed to super charge the issue.

Guests:

Lee Wachocki, Public Defender, Multnomah County

Resources:

Multnomah County DA Debate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wehZ548c-OY

DA Schmidt Endorsing Recriminalization

Mike Schmidt Endorses Proposal to Recriminalize Hard Drugs (wweek.com)

Bad Reporting on Public Defender Caseload

Record Number of People Face Criminal Charges in Multnomah County With No Defense Attorney (wweek.com)

Impacts of Recriminalization

https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/03/19/public-defender-crisis-recriminalization-oregon

Contact Hunter Parnell: