First Advisor

Mauri Matsuda

Term of Graduation

January 2026

Date of Publication

1-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Subjects

Aid and Assist, Competency, Multnomah, SMI

Physical Description

1 online resource ( pages)

Abstract

Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are highly overrepresented in jails. In Oregon, these individuals can be eligible for what is referred to as the aid and assist process (ORS 161.370) which is designed to facilitate restorative care in efforts to ensure that vulnerable individuals can rationally participate in their criminal proceedings. However, continuous escalation in aid and assist orders (109.3% between 2011-2025) has led to strain on the Oregon State Hospital, the primary care facility for this population. As a consequence, defendants with SMI are spending unnecessary time in custody, despite hospitalization admission guidelines governed by previously decided case law. There is a serious empirical gap in county-level criminological research into the aid and assist process, which this study seeks to fill. Utilizing an exploratory methodology to identify case characteristics in individuals under aid and assist orders in Multnomah County Jail between 2011 and 2025, this research identifies a high prevalence of violent person crimes, (16.44% Assault 1), as well the presence of high-need defendant subgroups, including individuals 55+ (17.56%) and people of color (42.47%). The development of county-level interventions is pivotal to returning to compliance with previous case law regarding aid and assist admission wait times.

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