In early March 2025, the Oregon Youth Authority began undertaking executing a plan proposed to and approved by Governor Tina Kotek’s office that brings external oversight to the agency’s reporting and investigation processes.
Central to this is the agency’s Professional Standards Office (PSO). January 6-17, 2025, OYA invited staff from the Oregon Department of Corrections to work alongside our Professional Standards Office for two weeks. OYA asked them to review operations, see what was working and what needed work from a process improvement orientation. That review identified concerns about how investigations are conducted and tracked, and about the number of open and suspended investigations.
Under new leadership of both the agency and office, PSO has:
- refreshed its systems for prioritizing, tracking, and conducting investigations
- begun holding regular meetings with all investigation partners
- reported weekly metrics
OYA has also welcomed external oversight from:
- a Youth and Family Advocate
- a Safety Advisory Committee
- the Public Safety subcommittee of the legislature’s Ways and Means committee
- the House Judiciary committee
Agency leadership will continue to:
- Be open and transparent with the public, legislature, media, and partners
- Resolve aged open and suspended cases (those open more than 180 days)
- Evaluate, investigate, and close new reports
- Ensure the office is fully staffed, trained, and functioning