Trail Blazing Justice

Was 2023 a year of progress or setback for Oregon’s justice system? Join us as Bobbin, Julia, Zach, and Justin reflect on the year that was, and forecast the road ahead in 2024.

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

What is it like to spend the holidays in prison? Join us for the first episode of “Outside Voices”—our special series of discussions with people who have experienced incarceration in Oregon. Bobbin is joined by Angela, Wayne, and two Kyles, as they share stories of how the holiday spirit can persevere in the midst of incarceration.

Links:

• Angela’s blog post about Korean food
•  Trail Blazing Moment: Thanksgiving Day 1972: B.B. King performs for inmates at Sing Sing Prison

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

What are Legislative Days, and why are they important? Join us this week as Bobbin, Zach, and Justin demystify these lesser-known legislative meetings and recap some of last week’s justice-related hearings.


Links

•   News article of the week: “Law enforcement officials press lawmakers to tighten Oregon’s drug laws”, OPB, Nov. 6, 2023, 
• Oregon Legislative Days hearings:
  • Joint Interim Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response
    • Agenda 
    • Video
  • Joint Committee on Public Safety
    • Agenda 
    • Video
  • Joint Meeting of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees
    • Agenda
    • Video
• Trail Blazing Moment: “The House I Live In” documentary (excerpt 1:30:31-1:31:22)

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

Bobbin, Zach, and Justin welcome Brittney Plesser, co-director of OJRC’s FA:IR Law Project, to discuss her recent report on access to abortion care for those incarcerated in Oregon jails. Join us for an eye-opening look at how the right to an abortion in Oregon depends on whether someone is housed in jail—and in which Oregon jail they happen to be in. 

Links:

• “Access for All, In Oregon?: A Review of Abortion Access in Oregon’s County Jails,” (OJRC report) October 2023
• Article of the Week: “Prosecutors in These States Can Review Sentences They Deem Extreme. Few Do.” The Marshall Project, Oct. 31, 2023
• Trail Blazing Moment: “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality” (excerpt 1:22:30-1:23:06)

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

Marijuana is legal in Oregon, right? Well, not for everyone. For this and other eye-opening insights, join Bobbin, Zach, and Justin as they welcome guest Erin McKee, co-founder of the Oregon Justice Resource Center and co-director of OJRC’s Immigrant Rights Project, to discuss Crimmigration—the intersection of criminal and immigration law in Oregon.

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

This week, Bobbin, Julia, Zach and Justin discuss OJRC’s recently published response to the Gender Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Julia outlines key points of the GIPA report, their implications, and OJRC’s recommendations for how the Oregon Department of Corrections must change in order to humanely house and treat the incarcerated.

Links:

• “A Serious Response to a ‘Sobering” Reality: OJRC’s Response to the Gender Informed Practices Assessment of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility”

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

Bobbin, Zach, Justin, Julia, and Kyle discuss what dying with a terminal illness looks like in Oregon’s prison system, Oregon’s Compassionate Release process as it stands now, and  how it badly needs to be refmed

Link:
“Relieving the Crisis of Dying in Prison,” a report by OJRC, March 2023

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

This week, Bobbin and Justin are joined by Julia Yoshimoto, director of OJRC’s Women’s Justice Project, as they dive into the recently published Gender Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility.

Links:

• Gender-Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) report about Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, by the Women's Justice Initiative
• A Serious Response to a Sobering Reality: OJRC response to the GIPA report

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

Bobbin, Zach, and Justin discuss the history and mythology of sheriffs in America, and take a deep dive into the growing Constitutional Sheriffs movement in Oregon and across the country. They also give their take on the past week’s Legislative Days hearings at the Oregon capitol.

Links:

• Video of Legislative Days hearing by Oregon Senate Judiciary committee (Sept 27, 2023)
• Video of Legislative Days hearing by Oregon House Judiciary committee (Sept 28, 2023)
• "I Am the Law: The Rise of Oregon's Constitutional Sheriffs," a report by the Oregon Justice Resource Center
• Gender-Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA) report about Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
• “Death By a Thousand Cuts: Stories from Inside Coffee Creek Correctional Facility,” by the Oregon Justice Resource Center

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.

Bobbin, Zach, and Justin react to this week’s announcement that Ellen Rosenblum will not be seeking re-election as Oregon’s Attorney General. They share their experiences dealing with the Department of Justice under Rosenblum’s tenure, and the civil rights that her agency has—and has not—stood up for. They also discuss a news story about a sheriff in Pacific County, Washington, who lacked certification as a police officer, and the growing “I am the Law” attitude among sheriffs.

Links:

• "I Am the Law: The Rise of Oregon's Constitutional Sheriffs," a report by the Oregon Justice Resource Center
• Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum will not seek reelection (OPB)
• Oregon Settles Lawsuit, Forces Out DOJ Civil Rights Attorney (OPB)
• Johnson Says Oregon DOJ Didn't Show 'Loyalty' In Civil Rights Case (OPB)
• Oregon Department of Justice Settles Harassment Claims Against Two of Its Top Attorneys (Willamette Week)

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.