Project Origins:
In October 2020, Commissioner Paul Schnell of the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) contacted CSG Justice Center staff to discuss impending cuts to DOC’s budget and the potential implications of these reductions on prison facilities and programming as well as community supervision. He proposed a short-term technical assistance project in Minnesota where CSG Justice Center staff could help the state conduct independent financial analysis, develop potential impacts, and find agreement between supervision partners throughout Minnesota. In November 2020, the Governor submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) requesting approval for a technical assistance project in Minnesota. The Minnesota Association of Community Correction Act Counties (MACCAC), Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers (MACPO), and Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) also submitted a letter to BJA requesting technical assistance. The project was approved shortly thereafter and commenced immediately.
Monthly Status:
On November 25, 2020, CSG Justice Center staff facilitated the first of many meetings between representatives from the governor’s office, DOC, AMC, MACPO, and MACCAC. This 18-member working group consists of one staff member from the governor’s office, five staff members from the DOC, one staff member from AMC, four members of MACPO, and seven members of MACCAC. The working group members are as follows:
1. Policy Advisor - Public Safety and Judiciary at Office of the Governor and Lt. Governor
2. Commissioner, DOC
3. Director of Government Relations, DOC
4. Field Services Director, DOC
5. Agency Chief Financial Officer, DOC
6. Deputy Commissioner of Community Services, DOC
7. Public Safety Policy Analyst, AMC
8. Cass County Probation Director, President, MACPO
9. Itasca County Probation Director, MACPO
10. Wright County Probation Director, MACPO
11. Lobbyist, MACPO
12. Region 6W Community Corrections Director, MACCAC
13. DFO Community Corrections Director, MACCAC
14. Hennepin County Community Corrections Director, MACCAC
15. Morrison County Community Corrections Director, MACCAC
16. Ramsey County Community Corrections Director, MACCAC
17. Kandiyohi County Community Corrections Director, MACCAC
18. Anoka County Community Corrections Director, MACCAC
At the first meeting, the working group discussed the impending cuts to DOC’s budget and the impact that these cuts have on community supervision funding, which is managed and administered by the DOC. The DOC Commissioner disclosed that they were facing a $60–100 million cut to the DOC’s budget that would impact all aspects of corrections, including community supervision.
In December, CSG Justice Center staff facilitated three meetings with the working group. On December 2, the working group met in smaller breakout groups to discuss which services and supervision practices garnered the greatest public safety impact in Minnesota and which services or practices could be modified with limited impacts to public safety. On December 16, CSG Justice Center staff reported out on the qualitative data collected during the breakout groups at the prior working group meeting and from one-on-one meetings that were held the week before. During this meeting, CSG Justice Center staff also discussed publicly available probation population data and corrections budget trends. On December 22, the working group discussed potential administrative and statutory recommendations.
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• 11/25: First meeting with the working group to discuss the scope of work for the project and set expectations.
• 12/1: Call with Agency Chief Financial Officer (DOC) to request data related to DOC’s budget.
• 12/2: Second meeting with the working group to discuss which services and supervision practices garnered the greatest public safety impact in Minnesota and which services could be modified with minimal impact to public safety.
• 12/7: Call with Cass County Probation Director and MACPO President to better understand strengths and weakness of the county probation officer’s (CPO) model.
• 12/7: Call with Morrison County Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to discuss the strengths and weakness of Minnesota’s multi-organization probation system, including the Community Correction Act (CCA) model.
• 12/7: Call with Itasca County Probation Director (MACPO) to better understand the CPO model and the strengths and challenges of his jurisdiction.
• 12/7: Call with Deputy Commissioner of Community Services (DOC) to discuss the strengths and weakness of each probation system and prior attempts at setting standards for probation across all systems.
• 12/8: Call with Anoka County Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to discuss the strengths and weakness of the CCA model.
• 12/8: Call with Public Safety Policy Analyst (AMC) to discuss the political appetite for changes to Minnesota’s probation system and the impact that looming budget cuts have across the counties.
• 12/8: Call with Director of Government Relations (DOC) to discuss the DOC’s relationship with county probation providers and the legislature.
• 12/10: Call with Ramsey County Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to discuss the strengths and weakness of Minnesota’s probation system and to better understand the changes he’s made in his county in response to COVID-19.
• 12/10: Call with Field Services Director (DOC) to discuss the strengths and weakness of the DOC probation model.
• 12/10: Call with Agency Chief Financial Officer (DOC) to better understand DOC’s budget.
• 12/11: Call with Kandiyohi County Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to discuss the strengths and weakness of the CCA model.
• 12/11: Call with Region 6W Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to discuss MACCAC’s prior attempts at engaging the legislature and to better understand the strengths and weakness of the CCA model.
• 12/11: Call with Hennepin County Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to discuss the strengths and weakness of Minnesota’s probation system and to better understand the changes she’s made in her county in response to COVID-19.
• 12/11: Call with Wright County Probation Director (MACPO) to discuss the strengths and weakness of the CPO model.
• 12/11: Call with DFO Community Corrections Director and MACCAC President to discuss the strengths and weakness of the CCA model and to discuss MACCAC’s priorities going into the legislative session.
• 12/15: Call with Kandiyohi County Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to follow up on previous discussion.
• 12/16: Third meeting with the working group to report out on the qualitative data collected at the prior working group meeting and from the one-on-one meetings.
• 12/16: Call with Commissioner (DOC) to hear his current thinking on how DOC will accommodate the budget cuts.
• 12/18: Call with Public Safety Policy Analyst (AMC) to check in on the counties’ reactions to the project so far.
• 12/18: Call with Agency Chief Financial Officer (DOC) to better understand the subsidies and reimbursements that pass through DOC to the CPOs and CCAs.
• 12/21: Call with Deputy Commissioner of Community Services (DOC) to better understand the county contracts with DOC for providing supervision.
• 12/22: Call with MACCAC members to discuss the counties’ concerns about reducing the subsidies and reimbursements that are provided to counties given that their systems are already strained and are a vital component to public safety in Minnesota.
• 12/22: Fourth meeting with the working group to discuss potential administrative and statutory recommendations.
• 12/23: Call with Anoka County Community Corrections Director (MACCAC) to hear his ideas regarding how DOC should accommodate the budget cuts.
• 12/23: Call with Commissioner (DOC) to discuss next steps.
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