By Maxine Bernstein
Oregonlive.com
MARION COUNTY, Ore. — A Marion County grand jury will investigate the conditions and management of Oregon’s largest youth prison in the wake of sexual abuse claims by former youth and a backlog of complaints that went unaddressed, the district attorney announced Monday.
Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson said she convened the grand jury after growing “increasingly concerned” about the safety of young people held at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn.
“Unfortunately, the more we learn regarding what occurred under OYA’s former leadership, the more that I believe that I should use every tool I have to ensure that both youth and the staff who serve them are safe,” she said in a statement.
Gov. Tina Kotek in March fired longtime Oregon Youth Authority Director Joe O’Leary after records showed the agency had failed to review investigations into an estimated 3,000 abuse complaints spanning seven years and that investigations had not been completed in another 733 cases dating to 2018.
The former chief investigator of the youth authority’s Professional Standards Unit resigned in February shortly after the backlog was discovered.
In May, the interim director of the Oregon Youth Authority reported to lawmakers that the backlog of open older cases stood then at 508.
At least five civil lawsuits are pending against the youth authority by at least 39 men who have alleged that MacLaren’s former chief doctor sexually abused them in his medical clinic when they were boys in custody.
The suits allege Dr. Edward Gary Edwards abused the boys between 2002 and 2016, fondling their genitals for his sexual gratification, and youth authority officials ignored staff reports about the alleged sexual abuse.
In the last year, the Marion County District Attorney’s Office has received more than 100 investigations into potential criminal conduct including escapes, possession of contraband, physical assaults on youth and staff, riots and sexual assaults, Clarkson said.
Some of the allegations date back several years, according to Clarkson’s office.
Most of these investigations were identified after the backlog of complaints were discovered in the Professional Standards Unit, her office said.
Clarkson called the “sheer number and seriousness” of the MacLaren investigations “almost overwhelming,” prompting her to ask for help from the Oregon Department of Justice, she said. Typically, the district attorney’s office works with state police who investigate potential criminal conduct at the Woodburn youth prison.
Tapped to oversee the grand jury, Clarkson said, are Marion County Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy, Senior Deputy District Attorney David Wilson and Senior Assistant Attorney General Kurt Miller, considered a state expert on juvenile law.
The grand jury proceedings will remain secret, but the grand jury is expected to issue a final report by the end of this year. The report will be made public, Clarkson said.
Will Howell, spokesperson for Oregon Youth Authority, said the agency will “promptly and thoroughly respond” to any requests the district attorney’s office makes.
“Public trust and confidence are critical to our success, so we are grateful that Marion County is using its annual oversight process in this way,” he said. “We intend to be nothing but open and transparent.”
State law calls for a grand jury to “inquire into the condition and management” of every adult and youth correctional facility at least once a year.
Clarkson’s announcement included support from two state legislators, Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, and Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, who co-chair the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety.
“Maintaining the public’s trust in this state facility — and ensuring the safety and well-being of the youth it serves — are vital for a just and humane Oregon,” Broadman said in a statement.
Evans said the subcommittee will take “appropriate action” after reviewing the grand jury’s report and make changes to “protect those under the state’s supervision.”
Attorney Peter Janci, who has filed several lawsuits against the Oregon Youth Authority on behalf of men who said they were abused by MacLaren’s former chief medical officer Edwards, said of the grand jury: “The many victims we represent share a primary goal of making kids in OYA custody safe from abuse. Unfortunately, all evidence indicates such abuse remains a serious, systemic problem to this day. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and we welcome any form of review or scrutiny that has a chance of increasing safety for this vulnerable population of youth.”
Edwards, who died in February at 87, worked at the youth prison for more than 40 years and was responsible for the intake exams of all boys, according to Janci.
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