DA Schmidt believes that smart reforms and public safety are inherently linked. Advancing changes that build trust and more sensible use of limited resources will necessarily promote and advance public safety. Offenders need to be held accountable. How we do that should be driven by the needs of victims and what will effectively make our community safer in the long run. 

Ballot Measure 11 Diversion

DA Schmidt partnered with the Multnomah County Circuit Court to develop STEP Court – the first treatment court in the state focused on M11 crimes. Eligible individuals charged with Assault I or Robbery I can be diverted into treatment and supervision programs rather than face incarceration. These crimes have some of the highest racial disparities in terms of defendants. When developing the program, MCDA data showed that 50% of Assault I defendants were BIPOC and 43% of Robbery I defendants were BIPOC (2019 data). In 2023, 30% of people incarcerated in state prison for Assault I or Robbery I were Black or Hispanic/Latino.

STEP Court uses an evidence-based approach to reduce the likelihood that an individual will re-offend, meaning fewer victims and safer communities. Victims also have input into the selection of defendant participation. To date, there have been 59 STEP Court participants with an 8.5% recidivism rate. This is significantly low compared to Multnomah County’s 46.8% recidivism rate (for high-risk individuals convicted of person crimes) and 29.5% recidivism rate (for all risk levels and crime categories).   

Neighborhood Prosecution

DA Schmidt reinstated the neighborhood prosecution program that once operated in Multnomah County. Called the Multnomah County Access Attorney Program (MAAP), prosecutors co-locate with community-based partners to provide a hands-on resource for neighbors and businesses to address local safety concerns. The program deploys non-carceral, evidence-based approaches to justice and accountability. By building deeper relationships between prosecutors and the neighborhoods they serve, we can achieve better outcomes for everyone in the community. 

There are currently four MAAP attorneys assigned to the following neighborhoods: Old Town, Rockwood, Hazelwood, and St. Johns/Eliot. 

Restorative Justice

Through a grant from the Criminal Justice Commission, DA Schmidt partnered with The Insight Alliance to create the Restorative Roots Project – a restorative justice program (RJ) in Multnomah County. RJ is a victim-centered approach that yields higher victim satisfaction rates, lower recidivism rates, and better public safety outcomes. It is a philosophy that divorces healing for victims and accountability for defendants from a traditional criminal environment. Instead, it focuses on the needs of the communities most impacted by the harm that was caused, starting with the victim.