The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that:

(1) Restorative justice programs, including facilitated dialogues and responsibility letter banks, can promote justice and healing for crime victims and survivors and can aid adults in custody in the process of rehabilitation;

(2) A facilitated dialogue or responsibility letter bank program is most successful when the participants are able to communicate openly and honestly about the crime and its impact, knowing that the participants’ communication will not be disclosed to other people or used against them later; and

(3) It is the policy and purpose of ORS § 423.600 to 423.610 that Department of Corrections facilitated dialogue and responsibility letter bank program communications are confidential, and should not be admissible in any administrative, judicial or arbitration proceeding, except pursuant to limited exceptions established by the Department of Corrections by rule. [2017 c.114 § 1; 2019 c.213 § 147]