Is there a better way to respond to young people who commit crimes?
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Ramsey County is changing how it responds to young people who commit crimes — and early results show their new approach is working.
In the past, young offenders were charged much like adults. They were sent to court and often placed on probation or assigned community service.
The new approach, sometimes called restorative justice, goes deeper. It pulls in members of the community, considers why the crime happened and helps young people understand the harm they caused while also holding them accountable.
MPR News host Angela Davis talks about why more communities across Minnesota are using restorative justice and about a new a study in Ramsey County that shows it dramatically reduces repeat offenses.
Guests:
John Choi has served as county attorney for Ramsey County since 2011 and previously served as city attorney for St. Paul.
Kara Beckman researches restorative justice programs in various Minnesota communities as a senior evaluator in the Center for Healthy Youth Development at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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