The Council on Crime and Justice is an independent, non-profit, 501(C)(3) organization that has been a leader in the field of social and criminal justice in Minnesota for fifty years. Our mission is to build community capacity to address the causes and consequences of crime and violence through research, demonstration and advocacy. Since our founding in 1957, the Council has been at the forefront of developing new concepts and programs in alternative sanctions, offender services, victims’ rights, restorative justice and social and criminal justice systems and policy change.
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.
July 10th, 2008 - Judge Pam Alexander on MPR's Midmorning Program discussing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, among other topics.
» In 2007, on the occasion of our Fiftieth Anniversary, the Council conducted a major study of Minnesota’s criminal justice system. The study, Justice, Where Art Thou? A Framework for Minnesota’s Future, generated a report and recommendations with the potential to affect significant positive change in this community. Please read the report and the corresponding opinion papers and let us know what you think… In conjunction with the study's conclusion, we hosted two special events, our annual Equal Justice Benefit and a day-long public forum, at both of which award winning author Malcolm Gladwell spoke to Minnesota's Tipping Point.
