PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Facing what they call a failure in Oregon’s mental health system, the district attorneys from three Portland area counties are speaking out Monday about the impacts to criminal justice in the state.
Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez is joining Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth and Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton in a press conference Monday morning. You can watch their statements below at 11 a.m.
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They are calling on Governor Tina Kotek and others at the state capitol to work towards improving the mental health system, especially for those in the criminal justice system.
“When this system failure makes headlines, such as the burning of a popular deli or the attempted fire-bombing of an athletic club, it receives attention and generates awareness,” a letter from the three DAs said. “Sadly, that attention and awareness have not resulted in meaningful improvement. As a result, Oregonians remain stuck with a broken system.”
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The letter, posted in full below, also points to the limits on admitting people to the Oregon State Hospital, and how long they need to stay there for treatment.
They say the current system is failing people in crisis, crime victims, and communities alike, and are warning that Oregon must act quickly to address what they describe as a growing and solvable problem.
June 15, 2026 joint statement from District Attorneys Nathan Vasquez, John Wentworth, and Kevin Barton
As the elected district attorneys for Oregon’s three most populous counties, we prosecute over 24,000 cases annually and our combined responsibility is to keep approximately 1.8 million people safe.
We have watched with great frustration as Oregon’s mental health system fails to provide essential treatment and support. The result of this breakdown is visible on our streets and in our criminal justice system.
When this system failure makes headlines, such as the burning of a popular deli or the attempted fire-bombing of an athletic club, it receives attention and generates awareness. Sadly, that attention and awareness have not resulted in meaningful improvement. As a result, Oregonians remain stuck with a broken system.
In the long-running Mink/Bowman case that began in 2002, the federal court issued its most recent order on June 1, 2026. This order overrides Oregon’s democratically enacted laws. It places reckless and ill-conceived limits on who may be admitted to the Oregon State Hospital and how long they may remain for necessary treatment. The practical effect will be to make it impossible to prosecute many defendants for a variety of crimes, including violent and sexual crimes such as rape and murder, placing our communities at incredible and unacceptable risk. Notwithstanding that risk, the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon State Hospital took no position on the issuance of the June 1 court order.
The state has failed to establish and maintain a mental health system and a state hospital that meets community needs. The current insufficient system harms individuals who deserve treatment, the victims who deserve justice, and the public who deserve safety.
We therefore call on Governor Tina Kotek, Oregon Health Authority Director Sejal Hathi, and Oregon State Hospital Interim Superintendent James Diegel, to take the following action:
- (1) Mink/Bowman Federal Case
The June 1 federal court order is scheduled to be reviewed by the court later this month to determine whether it remains in place or expires. Rather than continuing to “take no position” we ask that you fully inform the federal court of
the public safety and victim safety ramifications of its current order and advocate for that order to be modified to address the concerns.
- (2) Bed Capacity Increase
The Oregon Health Authority Behavioral Health Residential+ Facility Study (June 2024) recommended additional bed capacity throughout Oregon’s mental health system, including an additional 486 inpatient psychiatric facility beds. We ask that you develop and implement a concrete plan to meet the increased bed capacity needs in a reasonable period of time.
- (3) Expand Access to Treatment
To meet the growing community need, the state should support expanding access to mental health treatment at all levels of care. While there have been recent legislative investments in community-based programs and facilities, those programs and facilities are insufficient to meet the needs of Oregon’s most acute and dangerous individuals.
We are willing to partner with the state to identify concrete solutions that will ensure the safety of our communities while also addressing the needs of defendants in need of mental health care. As Oregon’s three most populous counties with criminal caseloads that comprise nearly half of the total state volume, programs we implement can have a statewide impact by reducing the strain on the Oregon State Hospital.
With this message, we are sounding the alarm. We urge Oregon’s leaders to act with urgency to address this ongoing yet solvable problem.
