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Commitment to Change Workgroup

Former Oregon Chief Justice Martha L. Walters formed the Commitment to Change (CTC) Workgroup in 2022. She charged it with completing a comprehensive review of Oregon’s civil commitment system and developing recommendations for how to improve that system, in time for Oregon’s 2025 legislative session.  

The workgroup engaged in facilitated meetings for two years. After a year of learning about all parts of the civil commitment system and discussing concerns, the workgroup developed and considered 244 reform ideas from workgroup members, constituent survey results, and listening sessions for people with lived experience and Oregon’s Tribes. 

At the end of this effort, the workgroup reached unanimous consensus on 51 recommendations for improvements to the system. The majority of workgroup members also supported more than 100 additional ideas.


Workgroup Members

Former Chief Justice Walters and current Chief Justice Meagan A. Flynn appointed members to represent a broad range of stakeholders in the civil commitment system, including courts, state agencies, legislators, local governments, Oregon tribes, health care providers, law enforcement, public defense and prosecution, and people with lived experience. 

Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs: Cherryl Ramirez
Association of Oregon Counties: Marcus Vejar
Coordinated Care Organizations: Melissa Thompson
Disability Rights Oregon: Jude Kassar
Governor's Office: Juliana Wallace
League of Oregon Cities: Dakotah Thompson
Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon: Janie Gullickson*
Mothers of the Mentally Ill: Jerri Clark
National Alliance for Mental Illness, Oregon Chapter: Chris Bouneff
Oregon Association Chiefs of Police: Jim Ferraris*
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems: Meghan Slotemaker
Oregon Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness: Chris Bouneff
Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association: Allison Knight
Oregon Department of Human Services: Chelas Kronenberg
Oregon District Attorneys Association: Channa Newell
Oregon Health Authority: Zachary Thornhill
Oregon Governor's Office: Juliana Wallace
Oregon Judicial Department: Judge Nan Waller and Judge Matthew Donohue
Oregon Legislature (House): Rep. Jason Kropf (D) and Rep. Christine Goodwin (R)
Oregon Legislature (Senate): Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D) and Sen. Kim Thatcher (R)
Oregon Health Authority (Health Systems Division): Zachary Thornhill
Oregon State Hospital: Dr. Katherine Tacker
Oregon State Sheriffs' Association: Sheriff Matt Phillips
Oregon Tribes: Angie Butler

*Rep. Charlie Conrad succeeded Rep. Christine Goodwin. Janie Gullickson and Chief Jim Ferraris left the workgroup midway due to time constraints and retirement, respectively.

Workgroup Documents

​Chief Justice Order (CJO) No. 22-019 established the Commitment to Change Workgroup. There are three versions of this CJO:

​Revisions Survey 

Building Consensus Survey 

Recommendations Survey 

Ideas Survey

*Meeting minutes coming soon

October 2022 – Welcome: Introductions, Objectives, Schedule, and Processes

November 2022 – Framework for Civil Commitment Reform

 
December 2022 – Current Civil Commitment Process Overview and Initiation of Civil Commitment

 
January 2023 – Investigation, Diversion, & Probable Cause Determination

 
February 2023 – Pre-Hearing Requirements & Examination

 
March 2023 – Civil Commitment Continuum

 
April 2023 – Civil Commitment Decision Tree - Part I

 
May 2023 – Civil Commitment Decision Tree - Part II

 
June 2023 – Assisted Outpatient Treatment

 
July 2023 - Civil commitment placement and trial visits

 
August 2023 - Recertification of civil commitment

 
September 2023 - Recertification of civil commitment (continued from August 2023), dismissal and discharge of civil commitment, wholistic civil commitment administration

 
October 2023 - Systems Thinking and Civil Commitment

 
November 2023 – Measuring inequities in the civil commitment system

 
December 2023 – No meeting


January 2024 – Civil commitment of individuals with an intellectual disability

 
February 2024 – Continued conversation of civil commitment of individuals with an intellectual disability or other cognitive deficit and substance use disorder as a clinical basis for commitment

Listening Sessions with People with Lived Experience
Listening Sessions with Oregon Tribes