The Council on Crime and Justice is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit that has provided leadership and innovative solutions to social and criminal justice issues of concern in Minnesota for over 50 years. Our work addresses the barriers to successful integration into the community faced by offenders and their families (employment, housing, education, etc.) and the challenges faced by victims of crime and those most at risk of falling into the criminal justice system. We conduct research into the causes and consequences of crime, we design and test the efficacy of new service models for our target populations, and we advocate to change systems or policies to improve the quality of life in our community. Our work is about ensuring equal justice and improved public safety at the same time.
Research
The Council conducts research, in order to better understand not only what is working and what is not working within the criminal justice system, but also why. Research findings inform the development of our demonstration projects, direct service models that are rigorously tested to ensure effectiveness.
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Advocacy
The Council’s advocacy efforts are necessary to bring about system and policy change, and help to advance effective solutions to issues of concern that have been identified through our research and demonstration findings.
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Demonstration
The Council’s demonstration projects are direct service models designed and evaluated for effectiveness by our staff. These models are informed by our research findings. When a model is proven to be effective, we advocate for its adoption. The model is then transitioned to direct service providers for long-term implementation.
Learn about the process to seal a criminal record in Minnesota
Read about the Council's 2010 Policy Agenda
Learn more about Second Chance Day on the Hill Feb 22, 2010
