OR public defense agency agrees to resume paying prosecutors

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The state agency that oversees public defense in Oregon says it will resume paying district attorneys discovery fees after cutting off the payments early this year. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that for years, prosecutors have charged public defenders for materials such as documents, recordings and other evidence relevant to a criminal case against people the public defenders represented. The Office of Public Defense Services stopped paying prosecutors for material on indigent criminal defendants on Jan. 1. The Office of Public Defense Services spends roughly $6 million every two years on the discovery items, according to staff. Top Democrats in the state had urged the office to resume the payments.