Pretrial Justice Council
The Ramsey County Pretrial Justice Council (formerly the Bail Reform Work Group) is a collaboration between justice system stakeholders, nonprofit groups, technical research partners and community members, who work to improve the Ramsey County pretrial system by prioritizing community well-being and safety.
Goals
The Pretrial Justice Council will continue to engage system and community stakeholders to develop innovative goals to support the pretrial process.
Members
- JusticePoint
- Minnesota Board of Public Defense
- Ramsey County Community Corrections
- Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office
- Ramsey County Attorney’s Office
- Saint Paul City Attorney’s Office
- Saint Paul Police Department
Community-based organizations
Community members
Community members include retired system stakeholders, justice-involved people and other community members.
Pretrial Justice Council focus
The Pretrial Justice Council focuses on developing and implementing strategies to improve the pretrial process and its effect on individuals, including how individuals are released after they are booked into the Adult Detention Center.
Why this matters
The PJC reviews Ramsey County policies and practices that determine whether individuals with lower-level charges are released or detained during their pretrial period at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center and works with stakeholders to make improvements.
Research shows that pretrial detention for any amount of time is associated with an increased likelihood of rearrest. It also causes harm to people’s lives when they are detained before they have been found guilty or innocent of a crime. When detained, they cannot work, attend school, fulfill caretaking responsibilities or participate actively in their own defense.
Community co-design
The PJC prioritizes collaboration between community members and system stakeholders to jointly create, improve, implement and evaluate policies, practices, and service delivery in a way that centers the experience of those who will use the services or be impacted by the particular system(s) at issue. Central to this work are participation, inclusion, collaboration, and a broad representation from communities across Ramsey County, including those who have been impacted by the pretrial justice process. The PJC uses the guiding principles of sharing power, prioritizing relationships, building capacity, and using participatory means.
Public Safety Assessment
The Public Safety Assessment (PSA) is an actuarial assessment that estimates risk of failure to appear in court pretrial, new criminal arrest while on pretrial release, and new violent criminal arrest while on pretrial release. Use of the PSA, in combination with other pretrial improvements, is associated with improved outcomes such as higher rates of pretrial release and reduced use of financial conditions of release.
History
Leaders from Ramsey County and local justice reform organizations first met in May 2019, motivated to collaborate and achieve a shared vision of pretrial justice for our community. The following summer and fall, these leaders held learning conversations that resulted in the Ramsey County Bail Reform Working Group (BRWG).
In 2020, the county became a Research-Action Site with Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) through an application backed by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, and the Ramsey County Manager's Office. As a Research-Action Site, BRWG members received intensive technical assistance and data support to study their current system, identify opportunities for improvement and implement legal, evidence-based policies and practices informed by local data and designed to improve pretrial outcomes and enhance community safety and wellbeing.
The BRWG also partnered with Research In Action (RIA) to support meaningful community engagement. RIA developed a community action plan and organized town halls.
In 2024, the group underwent a name change to Pretrial Justice Council (PJC) to better reflect the wide scope of its mission. The PJC studies research-informed policies and practices, analyzes local data, studies our system to identify opportunities for effective improvements to our pretrial system and promotes best practices that ensure fair and equitable administration of constitutional protections while eliminating the harm caused to communities of color.
Timeline
- 2019: The Bail Reform Working Group (BRWG) was formed, and concern was expressed about pretrial detention in the Adult Detention Center.
- 2020: Funding received from Arnold Ventures and was selected as a research action site by Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) to begin work to implement a risk assessment tool.
- 2021: Ramsey County contracted with Research in Action to assist in community engagement and codesign efforts.
- 2022-2023: Held three town hall listening sessions as part of the Bail Reform Work Group, to get a wider community perspective on pretrial issues such as length of stay, mental health support, education services, childcare, and more.
- Late 2022: County and Second Judicial Court applied more resources to start decreasing the length of stay for the pretrial population.
- December 2023: Adult Detention Center Dashboard came online to address the concern from the community about transparency in pretrial issues.
- July 2024: Searchable Adult Detention Jail Roster made available for public use.
- August 2024: Pretrial release pilot program started.
- September 2024: Name change to Pretrial Justice Council (PJC) to reflect full mission.
- October 2024: Community Navigator selected and contract began.
Town halls
- December 12, 2024 town hall
- December 12, 2023 town hall
- February 21, 2022 town hall (PDF)