No Less Than 75

Investigators and mitigators in Oregon are inadequately compensated for their work. As we all know, Oregon is in the midst of a vexing public defense crisis. The legislature and OPDC have addressed this by proposing to raise the rate for state public defense attorneys to $164 per hour - matching the federal rate for federal public defense counsel. At the same time, OPDC has appeared reluctant to provide equitable compensation for investigators, who are paid $90 per hour in the federal system. We recognize that resources are finite, notwithstanding a strong state economy and very healthy tax revenue in the current biennium. For that reason, we are asking for $75 per hour (45% of the attorney rate) rather than $90 per hour (54% of the attorney rate) which would give us parity with the treatment of attorneys.

The current rate of $55 per hour that we receive is insufficient to cover our overhead costs, such as office rent, equipment, insurance, taxes, and staff salaries. This rate is insufficient to cover the rising costs of living and doing business. Moreover, this rate does not reflect the level of expertise, experience, and education that we have as professional investigators, nor the complexity and diversity of the cases that we handle. We are often underpaid and undervalued for the work that we do, and we have no opportunity to negotiate or increase our rates. 

Beginning on September 1st, 2023, many DIO members started participating in a wage strike, and are not accepting OPDC cases that pay less than $75 per hour. This limits their client base to those on the unrepresented list.

The state can afford to pay investigators a fair wage, and indigent defendants not only deserve, but are legally entitled to a robust defense. A robust defense cannot be provided when investigators are poorly compensated.