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.

Family Strengthening Project

Gaining Access to Useful and Gainful Employment (GAUGE)

Healthy Educational Lifestyles Project (HELP)

General Crime Victim Services

Past Projects

The Council on Crime and Justice works on projects that meet the following criteria: 

• Fulfills the Council’s mission.
• Falls within one or more Council priorities.
• Offers opportunity to address a vital and unmet need through research, demonstration project or advocacy.
• Provides opportunity to materially affect public opinion and/or influence public policy on a significant issue involving criminal or social justice.
• Provides opportunity to collaborate, especially with communities of color.
• Funding and other resources are adequate for high quality work.
• Does not put other important Council priorities or values at risk. 

Project Focus 

• We study the causes and consequences of racial disparities in the criminal justice system for the purpose of advocating policy change aimed at addressing the disparity.
• We work with prisoners and their families to measure the benefits of pre-release parenting education, family support and re-entry planning in combination with post-release services focusing on building ties to employment, family and community.
• We provide treatment and monitoring for repeat DWI offenders to determine the potential for altering destructive life style patterns.
• We work to develop new approaches to assessing the availability and effectiveness of juvenile services.
• We are testing restorative justice approach to assist in rebuilding families who have been the victims of a juvenile domestic abuse.
• We provide a hotline for victims of crime and advocate on their behalf.
• We aid and assist victims of crime in navigating the judicial process.
• We work with the Minneapolis Public School District to improve school attendance among habitually absent youth.
• We are launching a project to provide health education courses to offenders, pre and post release advocacy for HIV positive offenders, and post release advocacy for high risk women or color (regardless of their HIV status).

Evaluation
A large part of the research conducted by the Council is the evaluation of our demonstration projects. Evaluations are conducted to determine whether our programs are successful and how they can be improved. The evaluation design for each demonstration project is created in conjunction with the planning and design of the project. Ongoing evaluation is used to modify and improve projects as they are implemented. For a general description of the council's project evaluation methods, click here.