Oregon Code § 135.235·Enacted ·Last updated March 01, 2026
Statute Text
Release assistance officers; appointment; duties.
(1) A presiding judge for a
judicial district may appoint release assistance officers under a personnel
plan established by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(2) A release
assistance officer shall, except when impracticable, interview every person
detained pursuant to law and charged with an offense. If the person is charged
with a person felony or person Class A misdemeanor, as those terms are defined
in the rules of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, or with contempt of
court for violating a court order protecting or prohibiting contact with
another person, the release assistance officer shall make reasonable efforts to
contact the victim prior to submitting a report or making a release decision
under subsection (3) of this section. If the release assistance officer is able
to contact the victim:
(a) Information
regarding the victims position on release, including whether special release
conditions should be imposed, must be included in the report described in
subsection (3) of this section, and considered by the release assistance
officer if the officer makes the release decision; and
(b) If the
information is available, the release assistance officer shall inform the
victim of the location, date and time of the defendants arraignment or other
first appearance.
(3) The release
assistance officer shall verify release criteria information and may either:
(a) Timely submit
a written report to the magistrate containing, but not limited to, an
evaluation of the release criteria and a recommendation for the form of
release; or
(b) If delegated
release authority by the presiding judge for the judicial district, make the
release decision.
(4) As used in
this section, victim means an individual that the charging instrument
indicates is the victim of the alleged offense or the person protected by the
court order, whether or not the individual is specifically named, so long as
the release assistance officer is able to confirm the identity of the
individual. [1973 c.836 §147; 1981 s.s. c.3 §37; 1995 c.781 §40; 2021 c.643 §3]