Oregon Justice Resource Center

Oregon Justice Resource Center was founded in 2011 by Bobbin Singh and Erin McKee. We work to promote civil rights and improve legal representation for communities that have often been underserved in the past: people living in poverty and people of color among them. We work in collaboration with other, like-minded, organizations to maximize our reach to serve underrepresented populations, to train future public interest lawyers, and to educate our community on civil rights and current civil liberties concerns. Our work includes: Oregon Innocence Project: to assist people who have been wrongly convicted and imprisoned in clearing their names. Women's Justice Project: to address the needs of women in the criminal justice system through direct services to incarcerated women as well as litigation, legislative reform, and other policy and communications initiatives. Immigrant Rights Project: to provide personalized advice to public defense providers regarding the immigration consequences of pleas and convictions for their non-citizen clients. IRP attorneys work with defense counsel to assess the risks of detention, deportation, and inadmissibility, as well as the likelihood and best options for discretionary relief from deportation based on the non-citizen's criminal, immigration, family, and personal history. Civil Rights Project: to examine, track, and litigate civil rights issues related to the criminal justice system. The CRP seeks to secure equal and fair treatment for individuals intersecting with the criminal legal system, and accountability and systemic reform through strategic litigation, public education, programming, and policy advocacy. The Youth Justice Project: to address systemic flaws in Oregon's treatment of youth in the adult system by identifying and assisting young people sentenced under Measure 11 (Oregon's mandatory minimum sentencing structure for "person" crimes), and to life or natural life in prison; by acting as a clearing house for lawyers who represent juvenile lifers in state and federal court or pursuing executive clemency; by advocating for the elimination of Measure 11 and life without the possibility of parole sentences for juvenile offenders (in law or de facto) in Oregon. Criminal justice reform: to promote better understanding of and reform of Oregon's criminal justice system Amicus Curiae support: to provide amicus assistance to cases presenting significant social justice issues or of particular concern to communities typically underserved by the legal system Student training: to offer opportunities to students to learn about important issues affecting the criminal justice system, work on cases, and develop skills in investigation, research, and writing. We employ a holistic approach to criminal justice reform, using client-centered and integrative advocacy as our model. This strategy includes focused direct legal services, public awareness campaigns, strategic partnerships, and coordinating our legal and advocacy areas to positively impact outcomes in favor of criminal justice reforms.