Disrupting the Probation to Incarceration Pathway: Translating Research into Action

Although probation is intended to help people succeed in the community, the reality is that probation can also serve as a pathway to incarceration. In Confined and Costly, the Council of State Governments (CSG) estimated that 45% of prison admissions nationwide are due to violations of probation or parole. In Minnesota, CSG estimated that proportion may be as high as 60% and also found that people who are Black and Native American are overrepresented in Minnesota’s criminal system. Thus, probation can be a pathway to incarceration that impacts Black and Native American communities more harshly than other groups.

In 2019, the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice and Ramsey County Community Corrections (RCCC) partnered together for the Reducing Revocations Challenge, a national project aimed at understanding the factors leading to probation violations and revocations. This webinar will detail the findings from the project as well as the recommendations developed by the project advisory committee for disrupting the probation to incarceration pathway in Ramsey County, Minnesota (located in the Twin Cities). This webinar will also describe the work currently underway to implement the recommendations, with a focus on how RCCC is working with its partners in the criminal legal system and members of the community to make systemwide changes with the goal of fostering greater success for people on probation.

Learn about the format of the webinar and featured speakers

To learn more about the research phase of this project, read Understanding Probation Violations and Disrupting the Revocation Pathway in Ramsey County, Minnesota.