Congratulations, Leann!
Congratulate Leann Blanchfield on her retirement by supporting the vision for a criminal legal system that is equitable, accountable, and restorative. Make a donation to the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) in Leann's honor, and be part of meaningful transformation.
Who is 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.
We seek a criminal legal system that promotes public safety by being more equitable, accountable, and restorative in delivering justice.
From the George Floyd Uprising to political assassinations, from a school shooting to this year's violent ICE occupation, Minnesota has been in the national spotlight for the past 6 years. In these high-stakes moments of resisting injustice, the MNJRC has always shown up. We lead conversations, educate public officials, and distribute tools that help communities navigate the moment.
But we also never stop doing the work in between—the work of reimagining and building the system Minnesota deserves. The work of participatory research, policy development, advocacy, and community engagement to explore the hard, unglamorous questions about systemic problems and their people-centered solutions.
Today, our organization is at a pivotal moment where your financial support would go a long way.
Thank you for helping MNJRC create the conditions for lasting transformation.
Research
Our research is collaborative and participatory, drives our education and engagement with the community, and has an impact on policy.
At the Minnesota Justice Research Center, we do research differently. We are intentional in this work, always centering the lived experiences of those closest to the issues we care about, asking for feedback throughout the process, and keeping participants involved as we share our findings. We take care, build trust, and create meaningful participant experiences so that our research is collaborative, not extractive.
Education
We engage a broad diversity of community members and criminal legal system stakeholders in conversations on ways to transform the existing system into one that provides real justice.
We do this through our Just Lead Fellowship for justice-impacted individuals, our annual Reimagining Justice conference, online webinars, and community events.
Policy
We use our research to support the development of policies that shift the criminal legal system toward our vision of justice.
In addition, our research is used by partner organizations and public policymakers in their development of policy and advocacy efforts. From helping restore the voting rights of formerly incarcerated Minnesotans, to shutting down one of the state’s most antiquated prisons, our policy work has made a big difference.