Судебный надзорщик Мария Рэндолл помогает бывшим заключенным в Орегоне обрести новую жизнь

How a Multnomah County parole officer helps clients find second chances Published 4:00 am Tuesday, August 25, 2026 Multnomah County’s START Court helps people whose crimes are tied to substance use, while parole officers like Maria Randall provide accountability, connect clients with treatment and help them build lives beyond addiction Maria Randall expected to build a career helping children. Instead, the former child welfare caseworker found her calling helping adults with substance use disorders through Multnomah County’s START Court. The program — Success Through Accountability, Restitution and Treatment — launched in 2010 to serve people who committed property crimes and are struggling with substance use and related mental health conditions. “I always imagined I would be working with kids. Now, I can’t imagine working with youth,” she said. Randall studied psychology at the University of Oregon, earning a double minor in women and gender studies and business, and always believed she was on track to work with children. Through an internship that later became a part-time job, she assisted elementary school students facing classroom challenges. The experience regularly brought her into contact with child welfare caseworkers, giving her an inside look at the Department of Human Services and eventually leading her to a career in child welfare. After graduation, Randall worked as a child welfare caseworker in Marion County before taking the same role in Klamath County. It was in those positions that she first encountered parole and probation officers while working with parents under supervision. The experience introduced her to a different side of the criminal justice system — one that ultimately became her career. Randall has now worked as a Multnomah County parole and probation officer for 10 years. In her current role, she supervises clients whose criminal behavior is driven by substance use. She helps them navigate probation by checking in regularly, identifying patterns that contribute to criminal behavior and working to reshape their thinking. “In my line of work, nothing really happens until we address the addiction,” she said. “If people are not successful, they don’t show up when they’re supposed to — reporting to me, reporting to treatment, engaging in classes and groups, showing up to court. They have a sentence hanging over their head.” A judge once explained to her that the direct Spanish-to-English translation of probation is “conditional liberty.” The phrase has stayed with Randall as a reminder that people who show up and do the work are trusted with their freedom. That belief drives the way she approaches every client. “I think the most fulfilling part of my job is watching people learn that they can lead a different life,” she said. “So many of my clients don’t think they can be sober.” Beyond sobriety, many struggle to imagine holding a job, paying their bills or maintaining a home. After years of addiction, those goals can feel impossible. “To watch somebody do these things and realize that they did it themselves, they put in the work, they showed up, they did what they needed to do — it’s really an honor,” she said. Former clients still call Randall to share their accomplishments. “I got my license for the first time.” “I’ve been sober for six years.” For Randall, every milestone is worth celebrating. One day sober. One week sober. One month sober. One year sober. Watching people discover their own potential, even after years of struggle, reminds her that lasting change is possible. But the victories do not always last. Her department has seen clients die from fatal overdoses, suicide, homicide and other consequences of addiction. “It’s hard to watch somebody working really, really hard — they’ve got six months or 60 days sobriety — and it feels like you’ve got momentum, and then they go back out, they use once, and they die,” she said. “You don’t get a second chance from that.” At times, Randall also has to recommend that a client be revoked from the program and sent to jail. “We’re not giving up on you, but this isn’t the right time, and we still want this for you; it just isn’t now,” she tells those clients. “It’s really hard to say, ‘Prison is the best option right this second.'” Even then, she said, she never stops believing in their ability to succeed. One former client, who nominated Randall as a Community Hero, spent about five years cycling between START Court and jail before ultimately finding success. “There were big things that happened for her in this program, and it wasn’t just, you know, kittens and rainbows for her,” Randall said. The former client credited Randall’s persistence and compassion for helping her stay the course. Randall said it meant a great deal that someone who had experienced both the setbacks and the successes of the program would think so highly of her. “There’s some people who fly through the program, and everything’s wonderful,” Randall said. “But she had to work for it, which has just made it more valuable to me that we still came out on the other end.” This story is a part of our annual Community Heroes special section, which highlights local community members for being simply amazing. This story is proudly sponsored by Mr. Plywood.