Public Notice Detail

ST. PAUL, MN (Nov. 21, 2002) – A study by the Minnesota Supreme Court and the National Center for State Courts has found that juveniles sentenced under extended juvenile jurisdiction (EJJ), who receive a juvenile court disposition and a stayed adult prison sentence, were less likely to re-offend than offenders sentenced as conventional juveniles or certified as adults.

Blended sentencing in Minnesota is referred to as extended jurisdiction juvenile.  Minnesota was one of the first states to adopt extended juvenile jurisdiction, and is the first state to conduct an evaluation.  A 1994 task force said at the time it became state law:  “it will give the juvenile one last chance at success in the juvenile justice system, with the threat of adult sanctions as an incentive not to re-offend.”  The jurisdiction of the juvenile court lasts until age 21.

The report offers three possible reasons for the lower rates of recidivism:

1.      The stayed sentence to adult prison that is part of an EJJ disposition may act as a deterrent to recidivism. 

2.      EJJ sentences are more likely to include incarceration than traditional juveniles; and incarceration effectively reduces an offender’s street time and thus the opportunity to re-offend.

3.      EJJ offenders may be receiving services and supervision that are effective in rehabilitating juvenile offenders and preventing repeat offenses.

The report also recommends additional study to identify the causes of recidivism and that a forum be provided for legislators, juvenile justice system personnel and the general public to discuss the research findings.

The Minnesota District Courts dispose of approximately 10,000 juvenile felony level cases annually.  Of these 10,000 cases, about 2,400 meet the presumptive certification criteria that identifies a serious juvenile offender.  Only about 100 juveniles are adult certified annually (about 1 percent of all juvenile felons) and about 300 juveniles receive an EJJ sentence (about 3 percent).

The study of a sample of juvenile cases disposed during 1997 and 1998 was conducted by the National Center for State Courts and the Minnesota Supreme Court – State Court Administrator’s Office, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection and the State Justice Institute.

The report can be found on-line at www.courts.state.mn.us.