Analysis Area 1: Examine state and county criminal justice investments over time to assess how the state’s spending aligns with public safety priorities.
Update: In January, CSG Justice Center staff began workshopping policy recommendations with the Delivery System Standards and Funding Policy Working Group, including alternative funding models. Ultimately, CSG Justice Center staff, with support from the working group, proposed the following policy recommendation that addresses analysis area 1:
Ensure that counties are equitably funded and positioned to comprehensively implement evidence-based supervision.
Define a single funding formula in statute with codified review dates that empowers counties to choose their supervision system based on public safety and local needs, not just what they can afford. The funding formula should be based on a foundational investment in supervision services in each county and tribe and a rigorous workload study. The results of this study should be a computation of the daily costs of providing supervision based on the risks, needs, and offense levels of people on supervision in Minnesota. This does not replace the current or future investments in supervision by counties and tribes. As shared public safety partners, each government must continue to invest. County eligibility for this state funding should not be dependent on the population of the county.
Analysis Area 2: (A) Assess the availability of treatment, programming, and other community resources to improve supervision outcomes throughout Minnesota. (B) Assess the types of programming and treatment available to people in the criminal justice system through prisons and other correctional facilities.
Update: In January, CSG Justice Center staff, in collaboration with staff from Policy Research Associates, hosted a two-day (January 11–12) virtual behavioral health summit. The behavioral health summit was well attended with 79 participants joining on day one and nearly 50 participants joining on day two. The following topics were covered over the course of the summit: (1) identifying and meeting the mental health and chemical dependency treatment needs of people on probation, (2) community supports and services, (3) the reentry process for people with mental health and chemical dependency treatment needs, (4) expanding gender and culturally responsive services, (5) increasing care coordination and collaboration, and (6) improving service availability and access.
With information collected through the behavioral health summit, probation assessment, and data analysis, CSG Justice Center staff proposed the following policy recommendations for consideration:
1. Reduce barriers to obtaining professional licenses.
2. Expand the use of regional Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).
3. Determine whether there have been unintended consequences of the Direct Access model.
4. Increase the availability of telehealth treatment for people on supervision and extend Medicaid coverage.
5. Suspend rather than terminate Medicaid coverage.
6. Ensure that statewide initiatives focused on the coordinated improvement of behavioral health services and other community supports include representation from all three delivery systems.
Analysis Area 3: Assess the fidelity of supervision practices (e.g., supervision levels by assessed risk; conditions of supervision most likely to increase successful outcomes and reduce recidivism, revocation, rearrest, or reincarceration).
Update: In January, CSG Justice Center staff met with CCA directors to discuss the findings from the probation data analysis. CSG Justice Center staff also began workshopping policy recommendations with the Delivery System Standards and Funding Policy Working Group, including methods for strengthening the state’s probation system. Ultimately, CSG Justice Center staff, with support from the working group, proposed a variety of policy recommendations that address analysis area 3, including:
1. Develop statewide service supervision standards and definitions across systems.
2. Require community supervision agencies to use the LS/CMI, or another agreed-upon risk screener and risk and needs assessment tools, as the main supervision assessment methods.
3. Consistently use assessment-driven, formalized collaborative case planning.
4. Require community supervision agencies to adopt a statewide incentives and sanctions grid.
5. Reduce the number of people on active supervision so that resources can be focused on people at the beginning of their supervision terms to reduce recidivism.
6. Develop revocation or “halfway back” caseloads across the state.
7. Limit the supervision of misdemeanor offenses.
8. Create a statewide evidence-based practices unit.
Other Updates:
In January, the Governor’s Council on Justice Reinvestment met for the first time (and three times in total) to review the findings and policy recommendations identified though the process with the Delivery System Standards and Funding Policy Working Group. Both the working group and the Governor’s Council on Justice Reinvestment are required to submit reports to the governor and legislature summarizing the Justice Reinvestment project and resulting policy options by February 1, 2022. The Governor’s Council on Justice Reinvestment will continue to meet through February 24, 2022, to further review the policy options. During this time, the Council will also hear public testimony from community members and people involved in the criminal justice system.
In addition to the policy recommendations outlined above, CSG Justice Center staff also proposed recommendations aimed at reducing racial disparities across the supervision system, ensuring victims of crime are supported, and measuring outcomes.
Research Monthly Status:
This month, CSG Justice Center research staff focused on producing background information to help the state develop a new probation funding formula. Additionally, research staff created slides depicting the reconviction rates for people on supervision in the community.
Research Monthly Log:
• 1/7: Reoriented slides on recidivism analysis to focus on reconviction for a felony offense. Explored the offenses for which people are reconvicted. Of those who were reconvicted, 38 percent of reconvictions were for a drug offense, 26 percent for a property offense, and 24 percent for a person offense.
• 1/10: CSG Justice Center staff analyzed budget data for CCA counties by reviewing CCA comprehensive plans and pulling relevant data. Some CCA counties contribute more than 80 percent of their CCA agency's budget, while 3 contribute less than half.
• CSG Justice Center staff examined the relationship between reconviction rates and per diem and found that there was a weak relationship before removing an outlier county, Rock Nobles. After removing Rock Nobles, the relationship between recidivism rates and per diem expenditures was moderate.
• 1/18: Reviewed proposal for state supervision funding formula; provided feedback on indicators evaluating the rural/urban aspects of a county.
Please check the box next to the following questions if the answer is 'yes'.
Please enter the applicable Event Date if there is an Event associated with this TTA.
When entering an Event Date, the Time is also required.
If the TTA is targeted to a particular audience or location, please complete the questions below.
Milestones are an element, activity, work product, or key task associated with completing the TTA (e.g. kick-off meeting, collect data from stake holders, deliver initial data analysis).
Please complete the fields below, if applicable, to create a milestone for this TTA.
Please respond to the Performance Metrics below. The Performance Metrics questions are based on the TTA Type indicated in the General Information section of the TTA.
Please submit a signed letter of support from your agency’s executive or other senior staff member. The letter can be emailed to or uploaded with this request. The letter should be submitted on official letterhead and include the following information:
- General information regarding the request for TTA services, i.e., the who, what, where, when, and why.
- The organizational and/or community needs specific to the request for TTA services.
- The benefits or anticipated outcomes from the receipt of TTA services.
By submitting this application to BJA NTTAC, I understand that upon approval of this application for TTA, the requestor agrees to keep BJA NTTAC informed of any circumstances that may impact the delivery of the TTA, including changes in the date of the event, event cancellation, or difficulties communicating with the assigned TTA provider.
Please call [site:phone] if you need further assistance completing this application.