In this pilot episode of the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC)'s podcast, Kayla Richards sits down with Tim Schnacke and Anna Hall for Part 1 of a conversation about cash bail and pretrial detention practices in Minnesota and nationwide. We hear expert perspectives on the function and failure of cash bail in Minnesota, bust misconceptions and myths about wealth-based systems of detention, and explore the question of what actually gets people to return to court.
Stay tuned for Part 2 where Kayla, Tim, and Anna dig into MNJRC's two-year study of Minnesota's pretrial system and the important recommendations we drew from this community-based research.
Resources:
Learn more about MNJRC's pretrial study and dive into the report at mnjrc.org/pretrial-best-practices.
Watch a short documentary about MNJRC's community-based approach to researching bail, jail, and pretrial practices in Minnesota.
Subscribe to the MNJRC newsletter to get updates on this work and hear about opportunities to get involved. Visit mnjrc.org and scroll to the bottom of any page to sign up.
APPR Community (for any questions you have)
More about our guests:
Anna Hall is a criminal defense attorney at the Legal Rights Center who's also leading MNJRC’s project to study and redesign Minnesota’s pretrial system. Through direct representation, community education, qualitative research, and partnership-building, Anna works to make the law more accessible to all Minnesotans, especially those most impacted by the criminal legal system.
Tim Schnacke is a national pretrial expert and Executive Director of the Center for Legal and Evidence-Based Practices in Colorado, providing research and consulting for jurisdictions trying to improve their bail practices. He’s also a pretrial legal analyst, author of several foundational publications in the field, with years of legal experience from DC to Colorado, and received the John C. Hendricks Pioneer Award for his contributions to pretrial justice in America.
About the podcast:
Transformation Blueprint: Reimagining Criminal Justice in Minnesota translates MNJRC’s work on the criminal legal system into an accessible podcast that bridges research and community action. This podcast connects our audience to timely developments in the criminal legal system by featuring researchers, advocates, people who work in the system, and people who are impacted by it. We strive to translate research into actionable tools for change with and by community, provide plain-language education on complex legal concepts, and spotlight innovative justice initiatives making real impact.
About MNJRC:
The Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to driving meaningful change to Minnesota’s criminal legal system through rigorous and community-centered research, education, and policy development.
Visit our website and join us in this work: mnjrc.org
Keep up with MNJRC on social media:
Instagram @MinnJRC
Facebook @MNJRC
Youtube @MNJRC
Music: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions