Conrad Wilson
Conrad Wilson is a reporter and producer covering criminal justice and legal affairs for OPB.
Prior to coming to OPB, he was a reporter at Minnesota Public Radio. Before that he ran the news department at an NPR affiliate in Colorado. His work has aired on "Marketplace" and NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." He has also written for Mashable, The Oregonian, Business Week, City Pages and The Christian Science Monitor.
Conrad earned a degree in international political economics and journalism from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
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Latest Stories
Oregon public defense report lays out plan for more hires, funds to address crisis
A draft report funded by Oregon’s Office of Public Defense Services, offers an attempt to draw connections between policy decisions, laws and their costs.
Oregon man convicted of 1980 murder of college student
A judge found Robert Arthur Plympton, 60, guilty of one count of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder. Barbara Tucker was 19 years old at the time she was killed. Her body was discovered more than 40 years ago in a wooded area near Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, by students on their way to class, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
New report says an Oregon public defender’s poor performance affected 100 clients
A public defender in Central Oregon failed to meaningfully represent roughly 100 clients in Crook and Jefferson counties between 2017 and 2020, according to a report released Thursday by the Oregon Justice Resource Center.
Oregon governor will sign bill to recriminalize drugs, expand treatment
There was little question about whether Gov. Tina Kotek would sign House Bill 4002, which overwhelmingly passed the Legislature last week. The governor’s announcement that she would sign the bill late Thursday brings certainty to the reality that Oregon’s drug decriminalization experiment is over.
Lawsuit accuses Portland officer of excessive force, city of failing to provide medical care in 2022 shooting of unarmed Black man
The estate representing a man killed by Portland police in 2022 filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Thursday against the city, accusing officers of using excessive force and the city of negligence because officers failed to provide timely medical care. On Nov. 19, 2022, officer Christopher Sathoff shot Immanueal “Manny” Clark as he ran from police.
Oregon’s new drug penalties would mean surge in convictions, jail stints, state estimates suggest
State estimates show 1,333 people will be convicted of drug possession and 533 could go to jail every year under the bill approved by lawmakers last week.
‘The Evergreen’: Drug decriminalization up close
OPB reporter Conrad Wilson spent time with first responders and people experiencing addiction to see the firsthand effects of the fentanyl crisis, and where Measure 110 fits in.
Oregon’s drug decriminalization aimed to make police a gateway to rehab, not jail. State leaders failed to make it work
Just over three years since Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 110, elected officials want to repeal key elements, blaming the law for open drug use and soaring overdoses. But it’s their own hands-off approach that isn’t working, advocates say.
Oregon pioneered a radical drug policy. Now it’s reconsidering
Under Ballot Measure 110, instead of arresting drug users, police give them a citation and point them towards treatment. Over three years in, there's a debate about whether it's succeeded or failed.
What Oregon’s drug crisis looks like on the streets of Portland: Overdoses every day
State legislators will spend much of the next month debating whether to scrap Measure 110, Oregon's voter-approved effort at drug decriminalization. Their decision will directly impact the first responders who deal with drug addiction on the streets of Portland. But has decriminalization caused the spike in overdoses and public use, or has it simply made the crisis impossible to ignore?