Equity and Justice

The mission of the Washington County District Attorney’s Office is: Seeking justice and protecting our community.

Seeking justice means ensuring that every decision we make and every action we take meets the highest legal and ethical standards to promote justice in our society. Protecting our community means always being mindful and aware of our role in promoting public safety in our community. The fundamental principles of equity and justice are essential to this mission.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office is dedicated to serving all members of our diverse community, regardless of skin color, race or ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, native language or any other classification. We are committed to the fight against all forms of racism, bias and discrimination.

The primary way we promote equity and justice is by working with the more than 12,000 crime victims who come from our diverse Washington County community every year seeking justice. In addition to our direct work with crime victims through the court system, we also engage in additional efforts to promote principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Please watch this video produced by the National District Attorneys Association to learn more about the role our office plays in protecting public safety.

Examples of additional work

Oregon Diversity Legal Job Fair

District Attorney Kevin Barton is a founding member of the Oregon Diversity Legal Job Fair. It is Oregon’s only diversity job fair for attorneys, paralegals and legal support professionals seeking employment with Oregon employers. The mission of the Oregon Diversity Legal Job Fair is to bring together Oregon's legal community to recruit and retain diverse legal professionals who will reflect the identity and values of the people and clients they serve.

The inaugural event took place virtually March 9-10, 2021. More than 40 employers hosted 81 virtual booths across the two-day event. During that time, employers conducted more than 600 interviews with candidates.

To learn more about this job fair please visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Building Bridges of Understanding event series

This event series brings together leaders from law enforcement and civil society organizations to examine and further understand the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in our communities and explore actions required to remove them. Visit The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon Building Bridges of Understanding for more information. You can also view this video of the 2019 gathering.

District Attorney Kevin Barton was a founding member of this event series in 2016 and has remained on the Building Bridges Steering Committee since that time.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training of DA’s Office personnel

The DA’s Office provides mandatory training for all employees regarding elimination of bias and principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, all prosecutors receive mandatory training regarding prosecutorial ethics and issues related to conviction integrity.

Protecting Vulnerable Minority Victims

Minority children are disproportionately victimized by exposure to trauma, child abuse and neglect. According to the Centers for Disease Control, women and several racial/ethnic minority groups are at a higher risk of experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that are linked to chronic health and lifelong problems, such as substance abuse and mental health challenges. District Attorney Barton is leading a task force to ensure all of Washington County’s children have equal access to specialized medical providers and trauma therapists.

In the News: District Attorney Kevin Barton Highlights Importance of Addressing Childhood Trauma

Conviction Integrity Committee

The DA’s Office Conviction Integrity Committee helps ensure the work of the DA’s Office meets the highest legal and ethical standards. This committee analyzes issues related to past and present cases, helps review office policies, and ensures personnel receive regular training.

Community Outreach

The DA’s Office engages in significant outreach both in person and via social media and web-based platforms. We routinely send speakers to community groups, town halls, schools, churches, chambers of commerce, and rotaries. We are especially interested in engaging with the many diverse community groups throughout Washington County. If you know of a community group that is interested in a DA’s Office speaker, please contact [email protected].

Promoting laws that reflect our community values

District Attorney Barton partnered with Representative Courtney Neron to promote HB 4145 (2020). This bill sought to protect schools and places of worship, including religious minorities, from those who threaten to cause harm or commit crimes motivated by bias or hate.

District Attorney Barton partnered with Sheriff Pat Garrett to successfully oppose the repeal of Oregon’s 31-year-old sanctuary law in order to ensure that all members of our community can have access to justice, regardless of their citizenship status or national origin.

Specialty and Treatment Courts

We sponsor or participate in eight different specialty and treatment courts [link to DA rehabilitating page]. The goal of these programs is to look for ways to address root causes of crime by providing select non-violent offenders an opportunity for enhanced supervision and treatment rather than incarceration. The programs include: drug court, mental health court, veterans treatment court, family sentencing alternative program (FSAP), integrated re-entry intensive supervision services program (IRISS), domestic violence deferred sentencing program (DVDP), early case resolution program (ECR), and multiple diversion programs.

Aggressively prosecuting and tracking hate and bias crimes

District Attorney Barton supported SB 577 (2019), which updated Oregon’s bias crime laws and created a new framework for victims to report bias incidents. Bias crimes and incidents that target individuals or groups have a harmful impact on our entire community. If you are the victim of or witness to a bias crime or incident, you can report it here.