§ 135.709 Exclusiveness of procedure

This rule means there's only one legal way to settle a criminal charge outside of the normal court process, and that's through the specific steps laid out in other parts of the law (ORS 135.703 to 135.709 and 135.745 to 135.757). People can't make their own side deals to make a criminal case go away.

If someone is charged with a crime, the case has to move forward through the court system unless it fits into these specific, approved compromise procedures. Even if the victim and the accused person agree to settle things privately, that agreement doesn't stop the state from prosecuting the crime, unless the law's exact process for compromise is followed.

Basically, this rule closes the door on informal deals. It keeps criminal cases from being resolved through private arrangements that skip the official system the law sets up.