Robina Institute

What Robina Institute does

The Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice is a nonpartisan research institute housed within the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis. It is governed by the Regents of the University of Minnesota and functions as an academic unit rather than a commercial enterprise, with a staff of approximately 8 people. Its mission is to produce empirical, evidence-based research that supports a criminal justice system described by the institute as fair, effective, and accountable.

The institute's core "products" are research projects and the resulting publications, presentations, and policy briefings. Active initiatives include the Aligning Supervision Conditions with Risk and Needs (ASCRN) project, the Minnesota Fines and Fees Project, the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission Research Support Project, support to the Minnesota Task Force for Mandatory Minimum Sentences, the Prison Release: Degrees of Indeterminacy Project, and a state-by-state analysis of back-end release discretion. Outputs include peer-reviewed journal articles, comparative reports, and direct briefings to Minnesota state commissions and county agencies such as Ramsey County Community Corrections.

The institute is funded through its parent university, government and quasi-government research contracts, foundation grants, and donations solicited via a "Support Our Work" page on its website. Its primary customer segment is horizontal: state and local criminal justice agencies, with an operating geography that is explicitly Minnesota-focused though it participates in national initiatives such as the CUNY-led Reducing Revocations Challenge. There is no commercial pricing model, no software product, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

Robina Institute

Legal name

The Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice

Website

https://robinainstitute.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Robina Institute is a nonpartisan academic research institute at the University of Minnesota Law School that conducts empirical research and policy analysis on criminal justice issues for Minnesota state and local government agencies, with a staff of about eight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Policy Research

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (9221), Other Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922190)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights) (EDAHAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Law & Legal Studies Research Universities (EDAHABAF), Criminal Justice Reform & Legal System Advocacy (BPAGAFAI), Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE)

Keywords

• Criminal justice research
• Sentencing guidelines analysis
• Probation and parole
• Prison release policy
• Criminal law reform

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice is a nonpartisan research institute at the University of Minnesota Law School that conducts empirical research and policy analysis on criminal justice topics including sentencing guidelines, probation and parole supervision, prison release systems, mandatory minimums, and fines and fees. It delivers research projects, reports, journal articles, and direct policy support to state and local government agencies, with active collaboration on initiatives such as the Reducing Revocations Challenge.

Product overview

The Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice is a nonpartisan research institute at the University of Minnesota Law School. It does not offer commercial products or services but rather conducts research projects and produces publications focused on criminal justice reform. The institute's work spans multiple research initiatives including probation and parole supervision, prison release policy, sentencing guidelines, and fines and fees analysis. Research outputs include reports, journal articles, and policy recommendations designed to promote a criminal justice system that is fair, effective, and accountable.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aligning Supervision Conditions with Risk and Needs (ASCRN)
• Minnesota Fines and Fees Project An active research project examining the impact of fines and fees on individuals involved with the criminal justice system in Minnesota.
• Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission Research Support Project A project providing ongoing research support to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, including presentations and policy analysis on sentencing guidelines.
• Minnesota Task Force for Mandatory Minimum Sentences An active project providing research and analysis support to the Minnesota Task Force examining mandatory minimum sentencing policies.
• Prison Release: Degrees of Indeterminacy Project A research project examining how different prison release systems, including indeterminacy in sentencing, affect prison populations and length of stay across U.S. states.
• Examining the Effects of Back-End Release Discretion on Prison Populations A state-by-state analysis examining how back-end release discretion mechanisms affect prison populations and lengths of incarceration.
• Publications and Reports The institute's body of publications and reports covering probation and parole conditions, prison release systems, sentencing guidelines, and criminal justice policy analysis, made available through the institute's website.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CUNY Institute for State and Local GovernancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborative partnership on the Reducing Revocations Challenge, a national initiative focused on reducing probation and parole revocations. The Robina Institute worked with Ramsey County Community Corrections and CUNY ISLG on this project since 2019.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vera Institute of Justice: Vera is a large nonprofit research and technical assistance organization focused on criminal justice reform, producing reports and advising government agencies - the closest large-scale analog to Robina's model of evidence-based policy research.
• Urban Institute Justice Policy Center: The Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center produces data-driven research on corrections, sentencing, and reentry for government clients, closely matching Robina's government-facing research model.
• Council of State Governments Justice Center: CSG Justice Center works directly with state and local governments on sentencing, supervision, and reentry policy research - a comparable state-commission-focused research and policy operation.
• Brennan Center for Justice: Hosted at NYU Law, the Brennan Center conducts empirical and policy research on criminal justice, including sentencing and supervision, making it a university-anchored criminal justice research peer.
• Yale Justice Collaboratory: Yale Law School's Justice Collaboratory conducts interdisciplinary research on punishment and criminal justice reform, making it a law-school-hosted criminal justice research peer.
• Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice Policy: A university-based criminal justice research and policy program housed at Harvard, comparable to Robina as an academic institution producing policy research for government and the field.
• Northwestern Pritzker Center for Criminal Justice: A law-school-based research center at Northwestern that produces criminal justice policy research and reports - directly analogous to Robina's positioning within a top-tier law school.
• CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance: CUNY ISLG is a university-based research institute that conducts criminal justice and public safety research and co-leads the Reducing Revocations Challenge with Robina, making it a direct, actively collaborating peer.

Broad incumbents

• Pew Charitable Trusts - Public Safety Performance Project: Pew's Public Safety Performance Project funds and conducts state-level criminal justice research on sentencing and corrections, operating at a much larger scale but addressing the same policy questions as Robina.
• RAND Corporation - Safety and Justice Program: RAND's Safety and Justice Program conducts large-scale criminal justice research with government clients, including sentencing and corrections analyses, making it a broad incumbent peer in the same research category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/robina-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Robina Institute