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OpenJurist

ORS 161.055

Known as the Oregon Criminal Code

The act spans §§ 161–161 (150 sections).

Applied in 109 court decisions — leading case Novosel v. Helgemoe (1978)

Most recently applied in 347 Or. App. 108 - State v. Williams (February 2026)

1971 c.743 §4

How often courts cite this section

1972198019902000201020202026110
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(1) When a “defense,” other than an “affirmative defense” as defined in subsection (2) of this section, is raised at a trial, the state has the burden of disproving the defense beyond a reasonable doubt.

(2) When a defense, declared to be an “affirmative defense” by chapter 743, Oregon Laws 1971, is raised at a trial, the defendant has the burden of proving the defense by a preponderance of the evidence.

(3) The state is not required to negate a defense as defined in subsection (1) of this section unless it is raised by the defendant. “Raised by the defendant” means either notice in writing to the state before commencement of trial or affirmative evidence by a defense witness in the defendant’s case in chief.

Official source: Oregon State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Oregon statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.