Oregon State Hospital vocal critic of the opening of the new state hospital, believing the state was ill-prepared to care for patients adequately. The Oregon constitution mandated that state hospitals be built in the capital city of Salem. Groundbreaking began May 1, 1881, and the hospital was completed in 1883. The newly-built, state-funded hospital opened as the Oregon State Insane Asylum on October 23, 1883, and was constructed based on the Kirkbride Plan for a total of $184,000 (). Its architecture is Italianate in style, and was designed by W.F. Boothby. Dr. Simeon Josephi was appointed superintendent of the hospital from its opening
Capital punishment in Oregon Capital punishment in Oregon Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Oregon. In November 2011, Governor John Kitzhaber announced a moratorium on executions in Oregon, canceling a planned execution and ordering a review of the death penalty system in the state. Kitzhaber's successor, Governor Kate Brown, affirmed her commitment to the moratorium. Oregon is the only American state where someone can be convicted of a capital crime without a unanimous verdict from the jury: 11 jurors are enough to find the defendant guilty, unless the prosecution requests a unanimous verdict. But if the prosecution seeks the