Federal investigation sought for Oregon Youth Authority misconduct

A lawmaker in Oregon is asking for a federal investigation into the Oregon Youth Authority. This request comes after reports showed that the agency failed to investigate thousands of abuse complaints properly. State Representative Kim Wallan expressed deep concern over these allegations, which involve serious issues like sexual abuse and drug smuggling among youths in state custody. Wallan pointed out a significant backlog of complaints that the agency has ignored. The Oregonian/OregonLive revealed these issues, leading to the recent firing of the agency's director, Joe O'Leary. Wallan stated that simply firing one person is not enough. She stressed the need for a thorough investigation to protect the safety of the youth involved. An internal review found that Raymond Byrd, the chief investigator, did not review about 3,000 abuse complaints over the past seven years. Additionally, there were 733 cases since 2018 still under investigation. Byrd resigned in January when confronted with these findings. The Oregon Youth Authority is responsible for managing around 900 youths and oversees nine facilities, including the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. Another investigation highlighted that O'Leary did not adequately supervise the unit responsible for handling complaints. Wallan, who is also the vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, emphasized that families should be able to trust that youth correctional facilities focus on rehabilitation, not ignoring abuse.