Critical Report Exposes Health Care and Operations Issues in Multnomah Jail System: County Proposes $200,000 in Contingency Funds to Improve Relations between Sheriff’s Office and Health Department

The National Institute of Corrections consultant’s report on the Multnomah jail system highlighted serious health care and operations issues. The county health department was specifically criticized for failing to share important information with corrections officers, which led to inmate deaths last year. In response, Multnomah County officials are proposing to allocate $200,000 in contingency funds towards initiatives aimed at improving relations between the sheriff’s office and the county’s health department.

According to spokeswoman Sarah Dean, the goal of this move is to immediately begin efforts to de-silo the sheriff’s office and Corrections Health and build a better working relationship between the two organizations responsible for inmate welfare. The decision to allocate funds for this purpose follows the recommendation of hiring an independent CEO of jail health services separate from the health department. However, Dean stated that the sheriff is launching a corrections recommendation project to assess the findings of various reports and take action on recommendations, which may include exploring a third-party position.

The County Board of Commissioners will consider this proposal on May 2.