District Attorney

For some defendants, the traditional court model has not been as effective as one would hope, and the dangers drunk drivers pose to our community justify a different approach.

DUII Court focuses on defendants who have been convicted of a DUII previously, often more than once. They have typically faced traditional consequences already: jail, significant fines, and probation. DUII Court takes an alternative approach that assists participants by creating an environment that focuses on the root issues: addiction and accountability.

In DUII Court, a defendant is assigned a multi-disciplinary team, which includes the DUII Court judge, defense counsel, deputy district attorney, deputy sheriff, probation officer, treatment court coordinator, and local treatment providers. Each team member plays an essential role in the success of the program, including the defendants. Because the program is voluntary, individuals who enroll are motivated, determined, and want to succeed.

Participation does not result in dismissed charges, but it comes with benefits to both defendants and to the community. These include treatment (in-patient and out), reduction or waiver of expensive fines and fees, reduced jail sanctions, and access to programs that assist participants with finding employment, education, housing, and health care.

The goal of DUII Court is to help individuals overcome their addiction and assist them in finding the tools necessary to maintain their sobriety long after completing the program. This leads to participants who not only maintain their sobriety but assist others in their quest to do the same, while keeping the community safer in the long run.

Drug Court is designed for adult defendants whose criminal behavior is driven, at least in part, by drug abuse or addiction.

The program focuses on individuals whose current or past convictions do not include firearms, violence (death or serious bodily injury), the manufacture or distribution of controlled substances, or sexual abuse.

The goal of Drug Court is to reduce drug-related crime and recidivism by providing treatment and rehabilitation to nonviolent defendants. The program accomplishes this goal by increasing awareness of drug abuse/addiction, promoting the ability of participants to live drug-free, and providing access to community resources to support positive lifestyle changes.

Unlike some specialty courts, Drug Court completion does not usually result in dismissal of charges. Instead, defendants plead guilty and sign a plea petition that allows them to enter Drug Court. Because entry is negotiated as part of a plea offer, Drug Court participation usually results in a significantly reduced sentence and possible avoidance of prison altogether.

Drug Court involves four distinct phases with specific goals:

• Treatment
• Recovery
• Relapse Prevention
• Community Transition

Participants make regularly scheduled court appearances, engage in drug treatment and rehabilitation, provide frequent drug testing samples, and work closely with a probation officer who monitors program compliance and provides progress reports to the court.

To graduate from the program, defendants must establish a consistent pattern of the following:

• Clean drug tests
• Employment or enrollment in vocational or educational programs
• Clean and sober housing
• Other proof of a stabilized lifestyle

DVDSP is limited to those defendants charged with certain misdemeanors committed against an intimate partner or family or household member.

Participants in DVDSP must plead guilty to a criminal charge, then engage in and successfully complete a batterer's intervention program, a substance abuse program (if one is ordered), must regularly attend court hearings to monitor progress, and must follow any other directives of the court.

Entry into the proglam is subject to approval by the District Attorney's Office.

DVDSP is a type of diversion program, which means that if an individual successfully completes the program, the misdemeanor charges are dismissed.

District Attorney and Units

John Wentworth, District Attorney 
1000 Courthouse Road map
districtattorney@clackamas.us
503-655-8431
Fax: 503-655-8943

Community Court is designed for those who commit low-level crimes that impact the quality of life of our community, including crimes such as trespass or small shoplifts.

The court seeks to help participants avoid future involvement in the criminal justice system by providing connections to services that address their individual circumstance.  Participants who successfully complete a plan that includes both community service (for accountability in the form of giving back to the community) and social service programs (to help break the cycle that led to crime in the first place) won’t face jail, fines or probation. Community Court is a “one-stop shop,” to reduce barriers to engaging with services. For most first-time offenders, the charges are dismissed upon graduation.

Community organizations and individuals have joined with the court to provide a Service Mall that is co-located with the court. The Service Mall is open to all Community Court participants and to anyone in the community who is in need. Participants don’t have to have a case pending in order to get easy access to multiple forms of assistance all in one place. Services include programs to help with self-sufficiency, such as getting signed up for food stamps or Social Security benefits, mental health and addiction counseling referrals, and help with resumes and getting into Job Corps and workforce training programs.

The District Attorney’s Office has a very important partnership with law enforcement, but we are separate entities with different duties and responsibilities. Local law enforcement agencies are responsible for investigating allegations of criminal conduct. The duration and intensity of those investigations depend on the type of crime being investigated.

Once the investigation is complete, the law enforcement agency submits the case to the District Attorney's Office for review. The type of crime that is alleged will determine which prosecution team, described below, will handle the case. To provide better continuity and service to victims, every prosecutor in the Clackamas County District Attorney's handles their assigned cases from the charging stage through to the cases' conclusion. Vertical prosecution has shown to improve conviction rates, reduce victim trauma, and provide more consistent, appropriate sentencing.

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Teams and Programs

The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office has 35 Deputy District Attorneys, four investigators, seven child support agents, 10 victim advocates and over 30 people on our administrative team who serve the community in many ways. Deputy District Attorneys are first and foremost trial attorneys, but we have many other functions such as charging and negotiating criminal cases and staffing numerous courts appearances every day. Deputy District Attorneys, Victim Advocates and our investigators are on call 24 hours a days, 7 days a week to provide support to law enforcement and crime victims, whether it be reviewing search warrants, answering legal questions, or responding to major crime scenes or hospitals to help victims in crisis. Our staff are assigned to the following teams and specialty programs:

Employee Spotlight

Team Photos

The Clackamas County DA's office is looking for up to 4 Certified Law Students (CLS) to join our team for a year-long experience.

In 2004, the Clackamas County District Attorney's office started hiring certified law students to work on misdemeanor prosecutions. Over the years, it has evolved into an annual program that begins in February with the hiring of 6 law students right after the Lewis and Clark Public Law job fair. We also present our program to Willamette Law School and have hired from as far away as Wake Forest University, North Carolina.

Of the 6 law students, 4 will be rising third-year law students (i.e., those who are currently in their second year of law school) and eligible to obtain their certification to appear in court. Certified Law Students (CLS) begin with a two-week training camp followed by a transition to making daily court appearances in a busy and fast-paced environment. Each CLS is teamed up with a misdemeanor prosecutor and assigned up to 75 criminal cases. CLSs are responsible for reviewing new cases, consulting with their mentor, making charging decisions and plea offers, responding to and filing motions, and negotiating every case assigned to them. Cases not resolved by guilty plea are set for trial and handled by the CLS. Each CLS receives trial advocacy training, and their first trial is conducted with their trial mentor. CLSs are also responsible for handling weekly civil commitment hearings in conjunction with mental health professionals at regional hospitals.

Law clerks in our office are exposed to many unique experiences, including going on jail and prison tours, and participating in a wet lab scenario.

This position can be an externship for school credit or qualify for work study. Candidates must be certified to make court appearances in the summer before their third year of law school.

In addition to on campus interviews we are recruiting and interviewing at our office in Oregon City. If you are interested in "job shadowing" one of our prosecutors and checking out our office, please email Bill Golden at  bgolden@clackamas.us to set up a tour.

Victims have the right to have a meaningful role in the criminal justice process.

Victim Assistance helps individuals exercise their victim rights as found in Oregon law and the Oregon Constitution. The foundation of these rights includes:

• The right to have a meaningful role in the criminal or juvenile justice process.
• The right to be treated with dignity and respect.
• The right to receive fair and impartial treatment.
• The right to receive reasonable protection from the offender.

Some victim rights are automatic and some must be requested. One of the goals of our advocates is to inform a victim of their rights as soon as practicable. There are rights available during an investigation, after arrest, while a court case is pending and after someone has been convicted. See below for an overview of the rights available to victims of crime. There are a variety of ways you can exercise your rights as a victim. For more information, please call Victim Assistance at 503-655-8616 or email victimsassistance@clackamas.us.

Victim Rights in Oregon

Under Oregon Law, YOU have certain rights as the victim in a criminal case. It is important that you know these rights. Some rights are automatic and others you need to request. Please read the information carefully and note that it is your responsibility in exercising your rights at each step in the process of the case.

What is human trafficking?

The Polaris Project, a survivor-centered, justice- and equity-driven movement to end human trafficking, defines human trafficking as “the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into selling sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world.”

Polaris has operated the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, connecting victims and survivors to support and services, and helping communities hold traffickers accountable. Through that work, Polaris has built the largest known dataset on human trafficking in North America. The data and expertise gained from two decades of working on trafficking situations in real time informs strategies that hold traffickers accountable, support survivors on their healing journeys and address the vulnerabilities that enable the business of stealing freedom for profit.

Human Trafficking in Clackamas County

In 2015, the Clackamas County District Attorney’s office began to assess the human trafficking issue within the county. Officials met with regional and national experts to research the issue and learned human trafficking affects individuals in every community regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds.

What was clear was human trafficking was a problem everywhere, and Clackamas County was not the exception.

“Our main goal at the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office is to provide justice and safety to crime victims and our community, and combatting human trafficking plays a major role in that,” Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth said. “We are dedicated to fighting human trafficking and helping victims so they can go on to lead healthy, happy and productive lives.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Rusty Amos, who leads the District Attorney’s Office’s Human Trafficking team, was a part of the original efforts to address trafficking. Prior to 2015, he served as a prosecutor in the county for over a decade and he quickly learned that victims of trafficking suffered “some of the worst trauma he had ever experienced with crime victims, and it was clear they needed our help,” he said. Amos was troubled by the system’s neglect of these victims and the misinformation within the community they were not real victims.

“We needed to develop a response to identify and help these survivors, educate the public and hold their abusers accountable. In developing a targeted response, our goals were simple: rescue victims and catch traffickers,” Amos said.

Partnering with agencies to fight human trafficking

It was during that same year in 2015, the district attorney’s office put together a work group and partnered with the county’s Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Coalition and local law enforcement to develop a response to trafficking in the county.

The work group evolved into the County’s Human Trafficking Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), which was certified by the Oregon Department of Justice – one of the first groups to receive the designation.

The team meets monthly with law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, the juvenile department, the state’s Department of Human Services, and other community partners. The MDT also has subcommittees to include the Law Enforcement subcommittee, Victim’s Services subcommittee, Training and Outreach, Data Collection, and a new Labor Trafficking subcommittee. The District Attorney’s office also serves as the chair of the Law Enforcement committee, Chair/Co-Chair of the victims services committee and Chairs the Data committee while actively participating in the other groups.

The MDT has developed protocols and guidelines about responding, investigating, prosecuting, and providing a continuum of care for victims. It developed a uniform screening tool to allow government agencies, organizations, law enforcement, hospitals, and other groups to identify victims or individuals at risk of being victimized and refer them to services. The District Attorney’s office and the MDT have also trained law enforcement, hospitals, hotels, community organizations and other groups within the region about human trafficking.

Diversion, education and working with law enforcement

In 2017, the District Attorney’s office incorporated a diversion program for those engaging in prostitution into their Community Court program to provide resources, counseling, and mentors to assist in changing their lifestyle. Since then, the Community Court has served hundreds of victims.

In 2023, the District Attorney’s office partnered with the Milwaukie Police Department to start a Sex Buyers Accountability and Diversion (SBAD) program to educate those purchasing sex about how their actions impact victims and the community. The money from the SBAD program is placed into the Clackamas County Human Trafficking Account to provide resources to victims and other groups and government agencies to assist in their efforts.

Since 2016, law enforcement implemented a proactive approach to identifying and investigating human trafficking cases while performing organized investigative operations to locate victims and hold traffickers and buyers accountable.

Human trafficking takes many forms

In 2023, law enforcement began to research illicit massage parlors within the region where individuals were induced, coerced, or forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money. According to the Polaris Project, new research finds an estimated 9,000-plus of these businesses are operating in every state in the country, with earnings totaling nearly $2.5 billion. It was clear this was happening in Clackamas County. In response, law enforcement conducted a six-month investigation into massage parlors within our jurisdiction and executed numerous warrants disrupting a large, organized human trafficking ring.

Victim Assistance

Victim Assistance provides support for victims of trafficking when a case is prosecuted as well as the collaboration of the Clackamas County Human Trafficking MDT (HTMDT). For anyone who is a victim of trafficking, being able to leave the situation can be extremely difficult for a variety of reasons:

• Stockholm Syndrome (sympathy/empathy with their trafficker)
• Debt bondage
• Isolation
• Fear of authority figures
• Fear of worse abuse if they leave
• Embarrassment/shame
• Survival

Some signs that a person may be a victim of trafficking are:

• Chronic runaway (minor)
• Prior or current DHS involvement
• Poor attendance at school
• Unexplained bruises/injuries
• Scripted answers/ inconsistent stories
• Just visiting a “friend” or unknown residence address
• Tattoos or brandings/ gang affiliation
• Frequent travel on the I-5 corridor
• “Boyfriend” much older man
• Attire does not match weather conditions

Victim Assistance supports trafficking victims through immediate crisis intervention, on scene response, safety planning, on-going support and information and referrals to other resources. An advocate can be reached at 503-655-8616 24/7.

Additional Resources

Safety Compass
971-235-0012 (24 hrs)
Immediate response and ongoing support for survivors of the sex industry in Clackamas, Marion and Washington counties.

A Village for One
503-730-1469
Provides outpatient mental health services to youth, ages 25 and under, in Clackamas and Marion counties who are victims of trafficking or at high risk for trafficking.

National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-373-7888
The National Human Trafficking Hotline connects victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with services and supports to get help and stay safe. The Trafficking Hotline also receives tips about potential situations of sex and labor trafficking and facilitates reporting that information to the appropriate authorities in certain cases.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
1-800-843-5678
TTY: 711
Text: 233733
National hotline for reporting missing children and suspected child victims of sex trafficking.

The Animal Abuse prosecutor handles all misdemeanor animal offenses.

The Animal Abuse prosecutor coordinates with the Oregon Humane Society and local law enforcement to guide investigations, charge cases, and hold defendants accountable for crimes they commit against animals. Justice for animals takes many forms: a criminal conviction for the abuser, probationary terms that mean animal abusers cannot possess animals, and civil processes that allow the state to remove animals from people convicted of abuse.

Make a report of animal cruelty