Public Notice Detail

ST. PAUL, MN. (Oct. 10, 2000) – Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen A. Blatz and Justice Joan Ericksen Lancaster will speak to first-time juvenile offenders and their parents in a new Otter Tail County program called “Keys to Innervisions.”

Otter Tail County’s program, established by local judges and agencies, aims to teach first-time juvenile offenders how to change their negative behaviors and turn their lives around. Three to five first-time offenders, along with their parents, attend weekly classes for eight weeks. The classes concentrate on how to empower teens to deal effectively with real life situations and problems. Class units include: chemical dependency; anger management, identifying habits and other factors that prevent teens from changing their behavior; building self-confidence; and personal goal-setting. The program also teaches parents how to support their kids and reinforce change in their kids’ behavior.

The program, which has been used throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, England and Puerto Rico since 1990, was started in Otter Tail County last month.  A 1999 study of the program in North Dakota showed that “Keys to Innervisions” decreased by more than half the number of teens who re-offended.   

The October 12 visit is part of the Chief Justice’s “Court Innovations Tour” through the Seventh Judicial District in Central Minnesota.  The tours, taken twice a year, give Chief Justice Blatz an opportunity to participate in community events, speak to local organizations and learn more about how Central Minnesota’s courts and communities are working to improve the justice system.

The Minnesota cities of St. Cloud, Long Prairie, Alexandria, Fergus Falls, Pelican Rapids, Detroit Lakes and Moorhead are among the stops scheduled for the October 11-13 tour. The justices will attend a community-wide taco supper in celebration of the Hispanic Liaison Program in Long Prairie and will participate in a Pelican Rapids round-table discussion about domestic violence.  The justices will also speak at a Fergus Falls luncheon for various women’s business and professional groups.

“For the last 150 years, the court system has been working to become more efficient. Now it’s time to focus on being more effective,” said Chief Justice Blatz. “These tours give us a chance to learn from the experiences of jurors, litigants, victims and concerned citizens throughout the state.”

Next week’s sweep through the Seventh District is the Chief Justice’s third “Court Innovations Tour.” She visited the Ninth District in Northwest Minnesota last fall and Southwest Minnesota’s Fifth District last summer.

Media is invited to attend all events.  This week’s full schedule is as follows:

Long Prairie, MN

• Todd County Community Hispanic Liaison Program Celebration, 5 p.m., October 11 at the Long Prairie Middle School Cafeteria, Long Prairie, MN. The Liaison Program, which works to integrate and promote understanding amongst the community’s Hispanic and other populations, will sponsor a free taco supper and cultural awareness program. The public is invited to attend.

Alexandria, MN

• Chief Justice Blatz pitches in to help Douglas County by covering a juvenile court calendar in Alexandria, 9 a.m., October 12.
• Justice Joan Lancaster will tour the law enforcement training program, 9:15 a.m., October 12 at Alexandria Technical College.

Fergus Falls, MN

• American Association of University Women, National Organization for Women and the Business and Professional Women’s groups luncheon, noon, October 12 at the Fergus Falls YMCA. Chief Justice Blatz and Justice Lancaster will be the featured speakers.
•  “Keys to Innervisions” class for first-time juvenile offenders, 2:30 p.m., October 12 at the Lakeland Mental Health Center.  The justices will watch and participate in the class.  Media is welcome, but must ensure the confidentiality of teen and parent participants.

Pelican Rapids, MN

• Citizenship class visit, 6:30 p.m., Oct. 12 at the Pelican Rapids High School.  Recent alums and current students of the citizenship classes will be present.
• “An evening with the Chief Justice: Our Courts Working with Violence” community-wide roundtable discussion, 7:30 p.m., October 12 at Pelican Rapids High School.  Members of the Pelican Rapids Center for Rural Violence committee will discuss their plan to prevent domestic violence and initiate a community roundtable discussion. The public is invited.

Detroit Lakes, MN

• Seventh Judicial District Judges’ Meeting, 9:30 a.m., October 13 at the Courthouse in Detroit Lakes.

Moorhead, MN

• Constitution Day “Back to School” program, noon, October 13, at Moorhead High School.  The justices will join more than 200 judges and attorneys who are visiting middle and high schools across the state, showing a new educational videotape called “Inside Straight: The Third Branch,” and teaching students about the court system.  The program is expected to reach 5,000 to 6,000 students statewide.