Minnesota Juvenile Justice Reform Initiative FY2022: Incentivized Diversion and Community-Driven System Reimagining

Metropolitan State University, in partnership with Minneapolis-based nonprofit the Legal Rights Center, will support a pilot of the Minnesota Incentivized Diversion (MID) Program and stakeholder engagement focused on statewide system transformation based on local best practices. The goal of the MID program is to increase the use of successful evidence based juvenile pretrial diversion programs to decrease the inappropriate impact of the juvenile justice system resulting in racial/ethnic disparities, as well as limit the collateral consequences of juvenile court records for all Minnesota youth. The target area is jurisdictions across Minnesota. This project will also include collaboration between community members, state agencies, county/tribal governments, and service providers to systematically review and restructure juvenile justice administration in Minnesota to ensure that juvenile justice is rooted in the core tenets of positive youth development, youth wellness, and racial equity. This award is funded as an administrative funding adjustment of 15PJDP-22-GG-03736-JRIX.