Minnesota Justice Research Center

What Minnesota Justice Research Center does

Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) is a Minnesota-based nonprofit founded in 2017 that conducts community-centered research and policy analysis aimed at reforming the state's criminal legal system. The organization serves three principal audiences: justice-impacted individuals and communities, Minnesota state and county justice agencies, and broader criminal justice reform coalitions. Its work emphasizes relational accountability over punishment and operates alongside — while remaining distinct from — existing systems of supervision and incarceration.

MNJRC delivers its mission through a portfolio of programs rather than a commercial product. Core offerings include the Just Lead Fellowship (a leadership development pipeline coordinated by Community Impact Director Kayla Richards), the annual Reimagining Justice Conference, the Transformation Blueprint podcast, a public MNJRC Tools resource hub, a Continuing Education Portal, and formal research projects such as the Behavioral Crisis Response evaluation with Canopy Roots and the Fines and Fees qualitative study with UC Berkeley's Policy Advocacy Clinic and the Fines and Fees Justice Center. The organization operates with a 1-10 person team including Research Director Dr. Katie Remington Cunningham, Policy Director Dr. Will Cooley, and Research Manager Jenny Debower, supplemented by research interns.

The business model is non-commercial. MNJRC is funded through community donations and grants, with all reports, tools, and resources made freely available on its website. It does not charge for its research or programs. Distribution is achieved through direct community engagement, the Justice For All Coalition (in which MNJRC is a member), and earned media. Quantifiable outcomes attributed to MNJRC's advocacy include a legislated five-year cap on probation terms (2023), a decline in Minnesota's probation population from a 2006 peak of 142,031 to 84,712 in 2025, and Minnesota's improvement from the 13th to the 17th most punitive U.S. state.

Name

Minnesota Justice Research Center

Legal name

Minnesota Justice Research Center

Website

https://www.mnjrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Policy Research

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Justice Reform & Legal System Advocacy (BPAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), Transitional Justice, Accountability & Reparations (BPADAGAL)

Keywords

• Criminal justice research
• Policy advocacy
• Probation reform
• Community-led research
• Criminal legal system

Headquarters

HQ city

Roseville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The organization is funded through community donations and likely grants. The donate page explicitly states 'Help sustain our work transforming the criminal legal system with a donation today — every dollar makes a difference.'

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) is a nonprofit that conducts community-centered research, policy development, and program evaluation to reform Minnesota's criminal-legal system. It partners with state and local agencies, community organizations, and justice-impacted residents to produce data-driven policy recommendations, research reports, and educational resources. Its work spans probation reform, fines and fees, behavioral crisis response, and broader sentencing and reentry policy in Minnesota.

Product overview

Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) operates as a research and policy advocacy organization focused on transforming Minnesota's criminal legal system. Rather than a technology product company, MNJRC offers a portfolio of research programs, educational initiatives, and community engagement tools including the Just Lead Fellowship leadership program, the annual Reimagining Justice Conference, the Transformation Blueprint Podcast, and various research projects such as the Behavioral Crisis Response Evaluation and Fines and Fees Study. The organization also provides resources through its MNJRC Tools portal and Continuing Education Portal for professionals in the justice field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) Evaluation Program evaluation service analyzing behavioral crisis response systems, provided to Minnesota agencies and partners working on criminal-legal and behavioral health reform.
• Fines and Fees Research Project Research initiative analyzing the impact of fines and fees imposed through Minnesota's criminal-legal system, producing data and policy recommendations for government agencies and advocacy partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minnesota probation population declined from 142,031 (2006 peak) to 84,712 (2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Justice For All CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMNJRC is a member organization of the Justice For All Coalition, a group of organizations working toward meaningful legal system transformations. The coalition selects policy priorities through member submissions and voting, then advocates collectively at the Minnesota State Capitol. MNJRC participates in developing the coalition's advocacy slate for each legislative session.
• Policy Advocacy Clinic at UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMNJRC partners with the Policy Advocacy Clinic at UC Berkeley as part of its broader policy work, particularly on fines and fees research. The partnership brings academic rigor and additional capacity to understand the financial burdens of justice system involvement.
• Fines and Fees Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMNJRC partners with the Fines and Fees Justice Center for its qualitative study on the financial impacts of fines and fees in the criminal legal system. The partnership informs policy decisions that reflect community needs.
• Canopy RootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMNJRC conducted a comprehensive evaluation of Canopy Roots' Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) program in Minneapolis. Canopy Roots is a Black-owned and women-led organization operating an unarmed first response team of mental health professionals dispatched through 911 calls. The evaluation assessed program effectiveness, community impact, and scalability potential, including field research with crisis responders, Canopy leadership, other ecosystem actors, and service recipients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: A larger, well-established national nonprofit conducting research and policy advocacy on criminal justice reform, including probation, parole, and pre-trial issues. Directly comparable to MNJRC in mission and approach, but operates nationally with significantly greater scale and resources.
• The Sentencing Project: National research and advocacy organization focused on criminal justice reform, with deep policy expertise on probation, sentencing, and community supervision. Comparable to MNJRC as a research-driven advocacy peer, though operating at national scope.
• Brennan Center for Justice: Affiliated with NYU Law, the Brennan Center conducts policy research and advocacy across criminal justice and democracy issues. Comparable as a research-and-policy organization influencing state-level legislation, though with a much broader issue portfolio.
• Council of State Governments Justice Center: National nonprofit that provides state and local officials with data-driven policy guidance on community supervision, behavioral health, and reentry. Closely aligned with MNJRC's probation and community supervision focus and its evidence-based advocacy model.
• Center for Court Innovation: Nonprofit that works with courts and communities to design and evaluate innovative justice programs, including alternatives to incarceration. Comparable to MNJRC's program-evaluation practice and policy-reform mission.
• Pew Charitable Trusts - Public Safety Performance Project: Large foundation initiative that partners with states to advance data-driven criminal justice reform, with a strong focus on probation and community supervision. Closely aligned with MNJRC's evidence-based supervision reform approach, though at much greater scale.

Regional players

• Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice: University of Minnesota-affiliated research center studying criminal sentencing and supervision policy, with deep Minnesota ties. A natural local research peer to MNJRC's probation-focused policy work and joint ecosystem node.
• Council on Crime and Justice: Minnesota-based nonprofit working on criminal justice reform and reentry services. Shares MNJRC's geographic focus on Minnesota and comparable justice-reform mission.

Direct peers

• Fines and Fees Justice Center: National nonprofit focused on eliminating the harms of fines and fees in the criminal legal system. MNJRC has an active partnership with this organization on its Fines and Fees research, making it a directly comparable research and advocacy peer.
• Justice Policy Institute: Nonprofit research and policy organization focused on reducing incarceration and promoting community-based alternatives. Shares MNJRC's research-and-advocacy model and reform priorities around community supervision and community-based public safety.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mnjrc
• Facebookfacebook.com/MNJRC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mnjrc
• Instagraminstagram.com/minnjrc
• Xx.com/minnjrc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota Justice Research Center