SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Citing the Minnesota criminal justice system’s costly reliance on probation and community supervision, a bipartisan group of Minnesota House members gathered Tuesday to launch a series of community-centered public safety reforms. The lawmakers were joined by local elected officials and public safety experts to outline improvements to deliver more effective outcomes for everyone involved, including crime victims, those who work in the criminal justice system, and community members, as well as for offenders to move forward in a positive direction.
Monday, the Justice Action Network released findings of a survey showing significant statewide public support for probation reforms like those being heard in the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Division, chaired by Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul).
“We are working to move Minnesota toward a community-centered public safety approach, where the whole community engages in problem solving when crimes are committed or people’s behaviors are misunderstood. As legislators we are committed to thoughtfully examine our approach to many aspects of our criminal justice system, including probation,” Rep. Mariani said. “Overuse of lengthy probation terms often sets offenders up for failure and is a massive cost driver in our corrections system. Legislators from both parties, are innovatively looking for ways to increase safety and remove racial inequities, by involving all members – in addition to law enforcement – to re-envision the way we think about criminal justice that builds up human capacity for healthy and safer communities.” Continue reading “With Minnesota facing probation crisis, legislators, experts, local officials call for community-centered reforms”