Criminal Justice

Nearly one out of every 100 Americans is under some sort of supervision by the criminal justice system. That means more than 3 million men, women and youth are in prison, in jail, on probation, on parole or in juvenile detention. Every ex-offender faces huge obstacles to re-entering society. They are often denied access to employment, housing, education or public health insurance programs.

The resulting lack of alternatives often presses ex-offenders to re-offend, making a return to incarceration likely. A proposal calling for Certificates of Rehabilitation would provide the opportunity for individuals to petition a court or government agency for a certificate that would provide assurances of rehabilitation and liability protections for employers.

Some employers eliminate prospective employees solely based on a disclosure of criminal history on initial employment applications. A better system would allow inquiry into and consideration of criminal records for prospective employees after the applicant has received an interview and perhaps, a conditional offer of employment.

Finally, our prison system is overwhelmed as a de facto mental health care “solution.” While about 5 percent of the U.S. population has serious mental illness, this number increases to 16 percent of those who are incarcerated. Upon their release, most have no discharge/transition plan or mental health support. Minnesota should hire more discharge planners, allow inmates to apply for MinnesotaCare benefits while in jail and in transition to the community, fund and establish standards for mental health courts and increase the number of public defenders.

Legislative Directions: