MN Coalition for Youth Justice

​Transformational change is imperative for Minnesota youth to access justice that is led with equity and love, rooted in humanity, and responsive to the strengths and needs of youth, families, and communities. To ensure equitable outcomes for all youth, the Minnesota Coalition for Youth Justice advocates for policies, practices and programs that reduce racial and ethnic disparities, treat youth and families with dignity, and are informed by anti-racist and culturally sound practices.

The Minnesota Coalition for Youth Justice is a member of the National Juvenile Justice Network​ and staffed by the Legal Rights Center.


​WHO WE ARE
We work as a collective of community members, youth, and families working together envision and create a new juvenile justice system. Our organizational partners include the Legal Rights Center, the University of Minnesota Law School, The Link, ACLU-Minnesota, Project for Pride in Living, Until We Are All Free, Minnesota Alliance with Youth, Youthprise, Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board, St. Paul Youth Services, N4 and NAACP-Minneapolis, among others.


​OUR WORK











​LEGISLATIVE ACTION
The juvenile justice system as it exists in Minnesota today is built upon decades of dehumanizing, ineffectual, and racist policies and practices that disproportionately harm Black youth, Indigenous youth, and Youth of Color. Through shorter term reforms and long-term re-imagining, the Minnesota Coalition for Youth seeks to build a community care ecosystem that is more equitable, humane and effective than the present youth justice system. To do this we: 
  1. Take an actively anti-racist stance on policies and programs, 
  2. Commit to doing no harm to youth and families, and
  3. Advocate for meaningful changes to policies and practices and invest in solutions aligned with our long term vision. ​
MN Coalition for Youth Justice supports the following bills in the 2021 Legislative Session:
  • HF 922/ SF 898 - Requiring an objective detention risk assessment instrument, ending indiscriminate court shackling, authorizing police diversion, and eliminating public hearings for certain youth offenses
  • ​HF 947/ SF 941 - Raising the lower age of juvenile court jurisdiction and detention to 13, ending visual strip searches and the use of punitive solitary confinement for youth in correctional facilities
  • HF 968 - Amending DHS disqualifications for youth offenses
  • HF 1152 - Creating an automatic expungement process for certain offenses
  • HF 416 / SF 900 - Requiring data collection on extended jurisdiction juvenile sentencing