In 2015, an internal report raised questions regarding the disparate use of force against African American adults inside Multnomah County correctional facilities. "Ensuring that each member of MCSO treats all persons with respect, dignity, and fairness is a top priority," said Sheriff Michael Reese.
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC), a division of the Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, was asked to conduct an audit of the Sheriff's Office use of force, as well as policies, training, systems of accountability, and data and reporting practices.
Upon taking Office, Sheriff Reese asked the NIC to expedite a review of MCSO use of force in response to the 2015 Report, to better understand the findings, gain context within the Corrections Division, and identify measures for improvement moving forward.
Attached are both the report produced by NIC, as well as the Sheriff's response to the recommendations made therein. The NIC found the vast majority of interactions between MCSO members and adults booked into jail are routine and without incident. Specifically:
1. Approximately 35,000 adults per year are booked through the Multnomah County jail system;
2. The average length of stay is 13.3 days;
3. An estimated 67% of those booked are white, nearly 20% are African American, and 8% are Hispanic; and,
4. Use of force occurs in less than 1% of interactions within the Corrections Division, including operations at both The Multnomah County Detention Center, a maximum security facility and Multnomah County Inverness Jail, a medium security facility.
Though the overall use of force was found to be low, at less than once per day, this Office will be accountable for ensuring all uses of force are objectively reasonable, used only as necessary to safely manage incidents within our facilities, and to balance governmental interest.
The National Institute of Corrections recommendations will serve as a road map for making changes to Sheriff's Office policies, training, systems of accountability, and data and reporting relating to use of force. An update will be published after one year, to track progress on our use of force program.
The NIC report and recommendations are being made public to demonstrate that MCSO is committed to transparency and open to a critical review of internal operations. "If we are going to make progress on long standing problems of disparity in our criminal justice system, we must have both the courage and fortitude to address these issues head on," said Sheriff Mike Reese.
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC), a division of the Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, was asked to conduct an audit of the Sheriff's Office use of force, as well as policies, training, systems of accountability, and data and reporting practices.
Upon taking Office, Sheriff Reese asked the NIC to expedite a review of MCSO use of force in response to the 2015 Report, to better understand the findings, gain context within the Corrections Division, and identify measures for improvement moving forward.
Attached are both the report produced by NIC, as well as the Sheriff's response to the recommendations made therein. The NIC found the vast majority of interactions between MCSO members and adults booked into jail are routine and without incident. Specifically:
1. Approximately 35,000 adults per year are booked through the Multnomah County jail system;
2. The average length of stay is 13.3 days;
3. An estimated 67% of those booked are white, nearly 20% are African American, and 8% are Hispanic; and,
4. Use of force occurs in less than 1% of interactions within the Corrections Division, including operations at both The Multnomah County Detention Center, a maximum security facility and Multnomah County Inverness Jail, a medium security facility.
Though the overall use of force was found to be low, at less than once per day, this Office will be accountable for ensuring all uses of force are objectively reasonable, used only as necessary to safely manage incidents within our facilities, and to balance governmental interest.
The National Institute of Corrections recommendations will serve as a road map for making changes to Sheriff's Office policies, training, systems of accountability, and data and reporting relating to use of force. An update will be published after one year, to track progress on our use of force program.
The NIC report and recommendations are being made public to demonstrate that MCSO is committed to transparency and open to a critical review of internal operations. "If we are going to make progress on long standing problems of disparity in our criminal justice system, we must have both the courage and fortitude to address these issues head on," said Sheriff Mike Reese.
