Published Reports & Research Briefs
October 3, 2024
This report shares findings from a 2023 voter mobilization effort focused directly on connecting with formerly-disenfranchised, Black, Twin Cities residents following the restoration of voting rights in Minnesota that show the power of relational outreach and the importance of credible messengers.
March 15, 2024
From 1991 to 2021, the percentage of people in prison aged 55 or older grew from 3 percent to 15 percent. The costs of imprisoning older people are skyrocketing because they are twice as expensive to incarcerate due to health care expenses.
November 23, 2023
What does life after prison look like for some Minnesotans? It can involve Intensive Supervised Release (or ISR) resulting in a challenging experience navigating a continued culture of punishment.
September 7, 2023
MNJRC's research report exploring whether cash bail supports or undermines commonly and communally held values of justice, fairness, and safety.
January 16, 2023
This series of short documents explore research connected to the restoration of voting rights
March 31, 2022
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety contracted with Wilder Research to conduct an external review of the state’s response to civil unrest that occurred following the murder of George Floyd. MNJRC partnered with Wilder to lead focus groups with community leaders, business owners, and youth.
February 20, 2019
This memo explores the impact of the 2016 Drug Sentencing Reform Act (DSRA) on average probation sentence length, exploring the differences by judicial district.
July 11, 2024
In Breaking Ground, the MNJRC reviews current and potential future reform efforts in Minnesota, and outlines three key targets for change in community supervision policies nationwide and in Minnesota.
March 15, 2024
Drug testing is a standard practice for people on probation and parole. Should it be? Luke’s story details how this common procedure can disrupt his successful transition from prison.
November 15, 2023
The Returning Home Saint Paul (RHSP) pilot was a partnership between the City of Saint Paul, HousingLink, and Ujamaa Place to house Black men aged 18-30 years old who have experienced incarceration.
August 23, 2023
Findings from MNJRC's pilot project on how to effectively reach formerly disenfranchised voters in Minnesota that leads them to vote.
July 6, 2022
This toolkit provides information and resources for members of the public interested in communicating
their support for recent administrative rules changes at the Minnesota POST Board.
March 17, 2022
One-Year Check-In of the Returning Home Saint Paul Pilot (RHSP)
This report offers a high-level overview of learnings at a one-year check point for the RHSP pilot, a partnership between the City of Saint Paul, HousingLink, and Ujamaa Place to house residents returning to the community from incarceration.
February 21, 2019
This memo details the racial and geographic distribution of felon disenfranchisement in Minnesota as a tool to consider the impact of proposed legislation (HF 40/SF 856) that would restore the right to vote for people convicted of felony offenses in reentry.
March 15, 2024
Community supervision is one of the most widely used forms of correctional control in the United States. In this report, we review the broad literature on the causes and consequences of this mass expansion of community supervision.
February 15, 2024
In this preliminary report, we provide a high-level summary of the current law of pretrial release and detention in Minnesota. We focus on the role of data and explore the current landscape in Minnesota where we identify several significant barriers to better understanding our pretrial system.
September 21, 2023
2022 was a big year for the MNJRC, from issuing a self-initiated report on accountability in policing to supporting the MN Department of Human Rights in negotiating a consent decree with the City of Minneapolis that reflects the community's perspectives to advancing research to support restoring voting rights to Minnesotans with criminal records. Read more here!
March 31, 2023
This report highlights three main recommendations drawn from community feedback to address race-based policing and strengthen public safety in Minneapolis through a consent decree.
May 24, 2022
Our second report examining values in the criminal legal system, this review explores the role of the Minnesota POST Board in enhancing accountability for police use-of-force misconduct.
January 28, 2019
This memo examines the differences in surcharge collection rate for cases based on whether or not a defendant was represented by a public defender.
February 1, 2021
Our first report examining values in the criminal legal system, this review examines the data on the presence of explicit white supremacist idealogies and hate groups in law enforcement and trust in policing.