ORS tit. 14, ch. 137, OREGON CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION, TEMPORARY PROVISIONS RELATING to JUSTICE REINVESTMENT EQUITY PROGRAM ARE COMPILED AS NOTES FOLLOWING ORS 137.686
ORS tit. 14, ch. 137, OREGON CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION, TEMPORARY PROVISIONS RELATING to JUSTICE REINVESTMENT EQUITY PROGRAM ARE COMPILED AS NOTES FOLLOWING ORS 137.686
Sections 15, 16a and 17, chapter 78, Oregon Laws 2022, provide:
Sec. 15. (1) The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission shall distribute the moneys received pursuant to section 14 of this 2022 Act to the Northwest Health Foundation Fund II to fund the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program. The program shall consist of the provision of subgrants and technical assistance by the Northwest Health Foundation Fund II to culturally specific organizations and culturally responsive service providers for the following purposes:
(a) Mental health and substance use disorder treatment;
(b) Maternal health services;
(c) Trauma-informed restorative justice services;
(d) Violence reduction programs, including but not limited to violence interruption mentors or after-school programs focused on art, music, theater or dance;
(e) Crisis intervention without police involvement;
(f) Reentry programs that are connected to education, workforce development and transitional supports;
(g) Long-term supportive housing;
(h) Support for setting aside conviction records;
(i) Pretrial release support;
(j) Services for victims, including incarcerated victims or victims on pretrial release;
(k) Programs for persons, and families of persons, who are currently or were formerly incarcerated;
(L) Programs designed to reduce recidivism and reduce contact with the criminal justice system;
(m) Programs for persons who have been impacted by police violence, either directly or through a family member; or
(n) Planning grants and technical assistance to support the development of new culturally specific services, or to strengthen existing services, that are aligned with the other purposes described in this subsection.
(2) Recognizing that systemic racism exists within this state and within the criminal justice system, and that culturally specific organizations and culturally responsive services must be expanded to address those disparities, the purpose of the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program is to promote racial equity, reduce racial disparities, reduce recidivism and decrease a county's utilization of imprisonment in a Department of Corrections institution, all while protecting public safety and holding offenders accountable.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, up to three percent of funds distributed under this section may be used by the Northwest Health Foundation Fund II for administrative costs.
(4) The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission may adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this section.
(5) As used in this section:
(a) "Administrative costs" means all costs incurred throughout the administration of the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program that are not directly related to the delivery of program services or projects.
(b) "Culturally responsive service" means a service that is respectful of, and relevant to, the beliefs, practices, cultures and linguistic needs of diverse consumer or client populations and communities whose members identify as having particular cultural or linguistic affiliations by virtue of their place of birth, ancestry or ethnic origin, religion, preferred language or language spoken at home. A culturally responsive service has the capacity to respond to the issues of diverse communities and require knowledge and capacity at systemic, organizational, professional and individual levels of intervention.
(c) "Culturally specific organization" means an organization, or a program within an organization, that serves a particular cultural community, that is primarily staffed and led by members of that community and that demonstrates self-advocacy, positive cultural identity and intimate knowledge of the lived experience of the community, including but not limited to:
(A) The impact of structural and individual racism or discrimination on the community;
(B) Specific disparities in access to services and resources experienced by the community; and
(C) Community strengths, cultural practices, beliefs and traditions. [2022 c. 78, § 15]
Sec. 16a. (1) The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission shall evaluate the implementation of the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program and monitor the progress of subgrants provided by the Northwest Health Foundation Fund II under section 15 of this 2022 Act.
(2) The commission shall convene a stakeholder group to assist with the evaluation described in subsection (1) of this section. The group must be composed of culturally diverse persons with expertise in culturally responsive evaluations, persons with expertise in criminal justice issues and subgrantees receiving funds under section 15 of this 2022 Act.
(3) The evaluator conducting the evaluation described in subsection (1) of this section must have expertise in racial equity, facilitation of community-based participatory evaluation methods and demonstrated experience with facilitating inclusive processes with diverse communities.
(4) No later than September 30, 2024, the commission shall provide a report detailing the progress of the evaluation described in subsection (1) of this section to the Legislative Assembly, in the manner provided in ORS 192.245, and shall include recommendations for additional evaluation needs. [2022 c. 78, § 16a]
Sec. 17. Section 16a of this 2022 Act is repealed on January 2, 2025. [2022 c. 78, § 17]