Senator Eric Pratt (R-Prior Lake) yesterday presented legislation in the Senate Judiciary Committee that adds $5 million to three community supervision probation delivery systems in Minnesota. Minnesota has been a traditionally low-incarceration state and has maintained this status by allowing low-level felony offenders to serve their sentences in their communities, allowing them to harness community support to become productive members of society. 

Minnesota currently has a very robust model of community supervision currently implemented throughout the state. This is done through three delivery systems that oversee community supervision: the Minnesota Association of Community Correction Act Counties (MACCAC), the Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers (MACPO), and Department of Corrections probation. These three organizations have given our counties local control to choose what works best for their unique communities. 

“A successful probation program has always been high priority for our state—it allows the criminal justice system to keep our communities safe by holding criminals accountable for their crimes, while also rehabilitating low-level felony offenders so that they can be productive members of society, both during probation and beyond,” said Sen. Pratt. “Our state has seen amazing results for the three associations that oversee community supervision, and that’s why we are focused on funding these programs so they can continue their successes.”

Minnesota is currently one of the lowest per capita incarceration states, with the prison population reaching a low average point of a 20% reduction last July. The funding in this bill serves as a starting point for maintaining supervision of offenders living in communities, allowing for less incarceration and more rehabilitation. 

The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the final Judiciary bill.