Oregon Public Broadcasting

Multnomah County is not planning to change the process it uses to decide whom to release when jails reach capacity.

Rex Rumer and Jamie Coleman were released Saturday after a large sting operation brought in 19 new arrests.

Coleman had nowhere to go, so he went home with Rumer. They both died Monday of heroin overdoses.

Lieutenant Mary Lindstrand called it a tragedy, but says the county is focused on releasing non-violent inmates.

Mary Lindstrand: "Inmates who are identified by our county health department as being at substantial risk for medical or mental health conditions are not eligible for our emergency release. In the case of these two gentlemen who overdosed, they were both healthy upon their release. So that was not a reason not to release them."

Lindstrand says it's impossible to tell if someone you're about to release will go on to abuse drugs.

Two years ago, the county stopped its emergency release program. But after budget cuts in June, there have been fewer jail beds.