an introduction to posting bail in Multnomah County
I've become very familiar with the local bail system here in Multnomah County as a part of providing support to protestors. I produced this zine to document parts of the process not covered by the instructions offered by the Multnomah County sheriff's office.
Please know that the process is subject to change, often with no warning. If you post a bail and notice that something has changed, let me know and I'll update the zine as soon as possible.
The zine is available to download as a PDF below, which you can then print and fold. There's also a transcript of the zine at the bottom of this page.
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zine transcript
This guide only applies to local arrests in Multnomah County, Oregon.
Booking and bail processes differ by county, although most Oregon counties will have similar steps. Federal processes are completely different, however.
This guide covers providing funds to arrestees so that they can 'self-bail' rather than posting bail directly. It's the main option available — private bail bond agencies don't operate in Oregon because the state only requires arrestees to post 10% of the full bond amount for release.
The booking process
When someone is arrested, they're taken to one of the Multnomah County jails for processing, usually the Multnomah County Detention Center downtown, but Inverness Jail near the airport is also an option.
Predicting how long booking will take is hard. If someone is arrested at a protest, booking often takes around 8 hours, though 12+ hours is not uncommon.
Start at MCSO.us/paid
The Multnomah County Sheriff's website has information about arrestees' statuses. Start by selecting 'Booked Today' (or the correct day) under 'Search Type,' then look through the full list of names for your person. Remember, they'll be under their legal name. You're looking for your person's status. If any of their charges have a status of 'Hold', 'Released', or 'Sentenced', you won't be able to bail them.
'Released' can either mean they were released to another agency or on their own recognizance.
Call the MCSO bail desk
503-988-3689 (ask for the bail desk)
Ask the bail desk staff to - confirm your person is eligible for bail - confirm the amount you need to post for bail - check if an arraignment hearing is scheduled
During arraignment hearings, arrestees see the judge for a first time. Sometimes judges will decide to release arrestees without bail, so you may want to wait until after the hearing to post bail.
Post bail through Touchpay
Send money for 'self-release' to arrestees through Touchpay online, by telephone, or in person at their kiosks, using either a credit or debit card. You can also use cash in person. You'll need MCSO's facility code (#297204) for the process.
Phone: 866-232-1899 Website: https://www.gtlfsonlinepay.com/portal/
Warning: Touchpay is awful. The website looks sketchy, but is correct. Sending more than $2,000 at a time will cause your account to lock up, though you can send up to $10,000 in batches.
Call the MCSO bail desk (again)
Once you've confirmed Touchpay has processed your payment, call the bail desk again. Touchpay doesn't send them notifications, so you need to let them know the money is available so they can inform your person.
From there, the arrestee should be asked if they want to use that money towards bail. Assuming they say yes, they should be released from the jail within a few hours.
Potential problems
- Bails over $10,000 can't be paid through Touchpay. You'll need to deliver a cashier's check in person to post larger bails.
- Arrestees under the age of 18 go through a different process (usually involving being released to their guardian) and won't appear on the MCSO website.
- Arrestees can refuse bail if they so choose.
- Touchpay will take your money even if your person isn't eligible for bail.
- Funds are held for the duration of any related legal proceedings (which can take years), then returned to the arrestee less fees.