A firsthand account from inside Faribault Correctional Facility describes how the Minnesota DOC is failing to implement the MRRA Act, leaving thousands of incarcerated people unable to earn early release they are legally entitled to.
criminal justice reform
Posted inPolitics
Five Candidates Face Off Over ICE Prosecution, Criminal Justice Reform in Hennepin County Attorney Race
Hennepin County Attorney race 2026 forum at Sabathani Community Center featured five candidates debating ICE prosecution, criminal justice reform and the future of the office.
Posted inLocal & State
Statewide public data on pretrial incarceration key to public safety, advocates say
New Minnesota legislation would require statewide reporting on pretrial detention, aiming to improve transparency and accountability.
Posted inLocal & State
Rising costs hit inmates, families priced out of phone calls at county jails
Rising Minnesota jail phone call costs are forcing families to limit communication with incarcerated loved ones, raising concerns about mental health, fairness, and rehabilitation.
Posted inOpinion
What needs fixing in Minnesota’s prison system
Minnesota Department of Corrections problems at Rush City Correctional Facility raise serious concerns about staff misconduct, prison wages, communication access and humane treatment inside Minnesota prisons.
Posted inNews
Pardon opens new chapter for gang leader turned justice advocate
Jason Sole has received a full pardon, marking a milestone in a journey from incarceration to national leadership in restorative justice and community-based advocacy.
Posted inLocal & State
State launches ambitious marijuana expungement program
Minnesota is attempting something few states have tried: clearing thousands of marijuana convictions automatically, without requiring anyone to petition the courts. On Wednesday, state officials and legal experts gathered at the Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis to outline the scope of what they called one of the most ambitious government-led expungement efforts in the […]
Posted inOpinion
Support our prisons’ invisible caregivers
Inside Maryland prisons, incarcerated people routinely act as nurses, chaplains, and social workers for one another—unpaid, unprotected, and unseen. Rev. Jamesina E. Greene urges lawmakers to pass a Prison Care Standards Act to mandate adequate health staffing, create peer-caregiver training and certification, and require transparency about in-prison care.
Posted inNews
Hennepin County joins shift away from ‘pretextual’ enforcement
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the county will stop prosecuting charges from pretextual traffic stops—expired tabs, window tint, and similar low-level violations—starting Oct. 15. Officials say the move reduces racial disparities and frees resources for violent crime; skeptics warn about losing an enforcement tool. The shift mirrors Ramsey County’s 2021 policy and Minneapolis’ consent-decree limits on stops.
Posted inOpinion
Stillwater prison’s ‘honors unit’ looks promising only on paper
The Minnesota DOC’s new “Honor Unit” at Stillwater offers perks, but incarcerated voices say it ignores unsafe conditions, relies on inequitable scoring, and props up a failing prison.
Posted inOpinion
Prison must be a place of last resort
Zhi Kai H. Vanderford, incarcerated for nearly 40 years, says prison is no longer about rehabilitation — it’s a failed system that devastates families and communities.
Posted inOpinion
If a rich white man says prisons are racist, it must be true
Todd Chrisley is calling out racism in federal prisons, exposing the unequal treatment of Black inmates and adding visibility to long-standing prison reform efforts.
Posted inGeorge Floyd
5 Years Since the Murder of George Floyd: A Statement from Minnesota Justice Research Center
Five years after George Floyd’s murder, MNJRC reflects on community progress and urges continued transformation of Minnesota’s criminal legal system.
Posted inOpinion
Is the Dept. of Corrections knowingly inflicting pain upon prisoners?
Minnesota prisoners denied medication: Cruel and unusual punishment?
Posted inNews
Biden commutes sentences and pardons marijuana offenses in sweeping criminal justice reform
President Biden has announced a series of clemency actions to address glaring disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Posted inNational, News
Blacks serving longer sentences in state prisons
The racial disparity between Black and White people sent to state prisons is declining, but criminal justice researchers say people of all races still aren’t treated equally.
Posted inBulletin
Poll shows broad support for criminal justice reform
Late last week, the Fraternal Order of Police — the largest law enforcement labor organization in the U.S. — became the first significant law enforcement group to announce their partnership with the White House on criminal justice reform legislation.
Posted inArts + Culture, Music
Rapper Meek Mill calls for criminal justice reform
“Meek’s case is just one example of how the excessively punitive criminal justice system targets Black people every day and turns prisons into profit-generating institutions.”