Thousands of Oregonians face criminal charges and do not have an attorney to represent them.

About 160 of them are sitting in jail. Another 3,550 people are out of custody with no representation as they face charges. The figures underscore a persistent problem: Oregon has a shortage of public defenders, who represent people when they are charged in court and cannot afford an attorney. It’s a constitutional crisis because people have the right to an attorney when charged if they cannot afford one.

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