Marion County officials say they are sounding the alarm after a 41-year-old Oregon State Hospital patient was moved into a secure residential treatment facility in Salem, right after his state supervision expired. The transfer has local leaders openly questioning how high-risk patients end up in communities where they have no roots and very little warning is given.
The patient, identified as Grant Brannaman, was transferred from the Oregon State Hospital to Jory Behavioral Health in Salem once his supervision under the state’s Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) ran out. Marion County officials say the PSRB had recently determined that further release was not in the public’s best interest, according to KATU. Brannaman’s history includes convictions going back to 2013, including sexual-offense convictions, and police records show he was arrested in Grants Pass in 2021 on arson and multiple criminal-mischief counts, according to a Grants Pass Department of Public Safety news release. County officials say they repeatedly asked the state hospital to keep him under supervision instead of transferring him into Marion County.
“The release of Brannaman highlights an alarming gap in our state mental health system’s ability to prevent high-risk individuals from returning to our neighborhoods,” Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson said, adding that local public-safety partners will be proactive about getting information to community leaders. Sheriff Nick Hunter and Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack joined Clarkson in raising concern that Brannaman had at times signaled an intent to reoffend, KATU reports.
How releases are supposed to work
Under Oregon law, there is a formal path for getting someone out of the state hospital. If a superintendent believes a person can safely return to the community, the hospital must apply to the PSRB and present a verified release plan, and the board then has to hold a hearing within specific timelines set in statute. Those rules spell out the board’s duty to review evidence, notify the Attorney General, and follow required procedures before anyone leaves state custody.
As detailed in Oregon Public Law, the PSRB is required to evaluate whether a person remains a substantial danger to others before ordering a discharge or conditional release. In theory, that process is meant to keep dangerous patients from being released into the community without careful review.
The Psychiatric Security Review Board’s role
The PSRB oversees hearings on discharge, conditional release, or continued commitment for people under its jurisdiction. The board maintains records, manages victim notification, and handles eligibility for expungement. Its public materials spell out how hearings are scheduled, who can be notified, and what standards members use to decide whether conditional release is appropriate, with the stated goal of balancing patient rights with public safety. The board’s guidance explains the details of those hearings and records on the PSRB site.
New secure beds in Salem
The facility that received Brannaman is part of a statewide push to build more secure residential treatment capacity in local communities. Salem opened a new Class-1 secure residential treatment facility last summer, designed for people who need high-level supervision but are not placed on general hospital wards. Local reporting and county notices describe these SRTFs as an alternative to the state hospital, but capacity is still tight and counties remain short of needed beds, according to Salem Reporter.
Officials push for statutory fixes
District attorneys and county leaders say the Brannaman transfer highlights deeper problems in the system and are urging lawmakers and state agencies to change the rules so people deemed dangerous can stay in secure care until appropriate placements actually exist. Marion County has previously taken state agencies to court over bed shortages and its ability to obtain inpatient restoration services, arguing that the state is failing to meet its legal obligations for inpatient restoration care, according to a county news release from Marion County.
Legal and public-safety implications
This latest flashpoint lands in the middle of a years-long tug-of-war over how quickly the Oregon State Hospital must admit and release patients. That fight has drawn in federal courts, county lawsuits, and stark disagreements between disability-rights advocates and prosecutors. Reporting by regional outlets has tracked the growing backlog of people waiting for restoration beds and the mounting legal pressure on state officials to balance constitutional rights, treatment needs, and public safety, OPB reports.
County leaders say they plan to keep pushing the legislature and state agencies for changes while working with community partners to keep residents informed. They also note that patient-level details are tightly limited by privacy laws, and that state agencies are barred from sharing protected health information about people in care.
