SALEM — Justice isn’t just blind in Oregon. It’s also old, rusty and — in some places — it’s liable to fall apart.

At least, that’s the situation for many of the state’s courthouses and satellite court buildings, according to a new report that itemizes an eyebrow-raising $843 million in needed repairs at 48 buildings, including five in Central Oregon.

The analysis suggests projects from seismic retrofitting to new security measures, and work such as plumbing upgrades, new wiring, and new heating and cooling systems. Some hallways and courtrooms are cramped and technology is outdated. Juries don’t have proper meeting rooms.

“The large figure was not unexpected,” said Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul DeMuniz, who notes that only one new county courthouse has been built in the state since 1961 — and that was the rebuild of the earthquake-damaged Klamath County Courthouse in 1998.

The court facilities report, which is an outgrowth of a task force created by the 2007 assembly to ascertain the condition of Oregon’s deteriorating courts, will be introduced to the interim House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. It is the first step in what DeMuniz said is a years-long process to ensure court facilities are adequate, up-to-date and safe.

And after years of deferred maintenance, it’s unrealistic to think everything can be done at once — or cheaply, he said.

Among the first steps: Get agreement about a list of the most urgent court projects, and he thinks that could even take a year or more.

The study does offer some guidance about what work should go first. It says some $91.5 million in projects are the most critical, and of that sum, $78.5 million would go to security-related measures.

The highest-rated facility is the newest, the Klamath County Courthouse; the lowest is in Union County, where the old courthouse was condemned and trials are now in a temporary space — a former hospital.

The highest-cost project on the list is the Multnomah County Courthouse, at $209.9 million.

Statewide, the report says, security systems are generally weak. For instance, common corridors are shared by judges, defendants and plaintiffs.

Many courthouses are out of compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, the report says.

Courthouses in Crook and Jefferson counties rated poorly, in the bottom third of the 48 facilities, and each needs more than $10 million in upgrades including ventilation work and fire sprinklers.

The Jefferson County Courthouse is in a floodway.

Three facilities in Deschutes County — the courthouse, adjacent justice center and the juvenile detention facility — are in comparatively good shape, yet still could benefit from millions of dollars in projects.

At Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice, for instance, where a courtroom is on the ground floor, new ventilation ductwork would cost $1.7 million.

Proposals to finance or at least encourage projects will be introduced in the 2009 Legislature, said Paul Snider, a lobbyist for the Association of Oregon Counties.

The burden to finance projects won’t just be on the state: All 36 county courthouses are owned by the counties — and those counties are responsible for upkeep.

Legislators could levy new fees for court filings and also grant more legal leeway for counties to work together with partners — such as cities, state agencies or even private developers — in order to jointly build new facilities.

“Counties can’t do it alone, and that’s been the problem throughout the state, but we can do something together, maybe with public-private partnerships,” he said.

While there’s optimism, the fiscal reality in the next biennium — coupled with expensive new ballot measures on the November ballot — could make any new investments unlikely.

DeMuniz said one possibility in 2009 could be to tap into legislators’ desires to spark the economy by investing in new public infrastructure, such as road projects. Court facilities should certainly qualify, he said.

He said not all counties have the capacity to invest heavily, but can learn from Deschutes County, where officials have teamed with state agencies to help finance a new public services building and have also invested in courtroom renovations.

For instance, a proposed satellite courtroom at the county jail will reduce the tab for transporting inmates, said Ernest Mazorol, the state court administrator for Deschutes County Courts.

“Do we have problem? Yes. Is the (ventilation) system bad? Yes, but that’s going to have to wait,” he said. “We’ve got needs, they know what our needs are, and I don’t think (they’ll) forget when money comes in,” he said.

CENTRAL OREGON COURT FACILITIES

Crook County Courthouse

Prineville

Built: 1909

Size: 23,000 square feet

Total needed: $12.6 million

Rank out of 48: 40

Priority repairs needed

Heating and ventilation: $1.2 million

Building configuration: $856,496

In-custody defendant area: $805,805

Seismic safety: $745,948

Plumbing: $439,417

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Jefferson County Courthouse

Madras

Built: 1961

Size: 21,000 square feet (excluding adjacent justice facility)

Total needed: $10.4 million

Rank out of 48: 37

Priority repairs needed

Building configuration: $576,124

Fire sprinkler system: $187,573

Information technology and communications: $100,944

Security: $80,755

Public waiting area: $201,999

Heating and ventilation: $1.8 million

Note: Building located in a floodway

—

Deschutes County Courthouse

Bend

Built: 1942

Size: 23,760 square feet (excluding adjacent justice facility)

Total needed: $1.3 million

Rank out of 48: 3

Priority repairs needed

Seismic safety: $459,082

Parking and pedestrian access: $244,714

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Deschutes County Justice Building

Bend

Built: 1977

Size: 40,000 square feet (excluding adjacent courthouse)

Total needed: $8 million

Rank out of 48: 3

Priority repairs needed

Information technology and communications: $192,275

In-custody defendant areas: $696,559

Heating and ventilation: $1.2 million

—

Deschutes County Juvenile Detention Facility

Bend

Built: 1997

Size: 60,000 square feet (10 percent used by courts)

Total needed: $5 million

Rank out of 48: 8

Priority repairs needed

Information technology and communications: $141,584

Heating and ventilation: $1.7 million

Air conditioning: $617,726