Ramsey County Strategy
Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiatives (JDAI) seeks to reduce over-reliance on secure detention of juveniles and to eliminate disproportionate minority confinement.
Led by a diverse group of committed leaders, we recently completed the first year of a multi-year effort to safely minimize populations in our juvenile correctional facilities through fairer, better informed system policies and practices and the use of effective community-based alternatives.
This system reform effort, the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiatives (JDAI), is a nationally recognized, evidence-based project funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Minnesota state Office of Justice Programs, and Ramsey County Community Corrections. It has a proven track record of reducing unnecessary reliance on secure detention in a wide range of jurisdictions across the nation. Since the first three JDAI demonstration projects launched in 1992, more than 50 sites have seen their average daily populations in secure detention decrease dramatically, while key public safety indicators, such as re-arrest rates, have generally improved.
Already there are impressive results: greater cooperation among agencies; an increased reliance on data, measurement and evaluation; greater transparency; a stronger emphasis on educating everyone about the processes of the juvenile justice system; and an unprecedented level of cooperation and collaboration among staff, leadership and community members.
Mission
To improve public safety and long-term outcomes for juveniles in Ramsey County by:
- Reducing the number of juveniles in secure detention;
- Eliminating the disproportionate representation of juveniles of color in secure detention;
- Achieving systematic reform of juvenile detention practices; and
- Developing appropriate and effective detention alternatives for juveniles who should not be held in secure detention.