What We're Doing Instead of the Reimagining Justice Conference This Year

By Justin Terrell, Executive Director

Every year the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) holds a conference focused on reimagining justice. This event brings together scholars, activists, legal practitioners, and people directly impacted by the system – a diverse set of stakeholders with one goal in mind: to reimagine how we administer justice in the state of Minnesota. Over the past six years, we have explored a wide range of issues. And each year, people tell us they walked away feeling hopeful. This hope is what powers us to believe that a better system is possible. This year, we are pausing our regularly scheduled program to channel that hope to get people more engaged with our democracy. Because this election, justice is on the ballot.

Ask yourself this question: Have you or anyone you know been a victim of a crime or been prosecuted for one? What was your experience? Did you feel the process was fair, trustworthy, humane, or effective? We ask this question often, and rarely do we hear Minnesotans say the criminal legal system meets these standards. In fact, according to polling from the end of 2025, most Minnesotans (61%) support major changes or a complete overhaul of this system. To make that happen, people need to get involved in advocating for a system that reflects the values of Minnesotans—voting for the people who govern this system is one way to do that.

Because we are a community-based research and advocacy nonprofit, MNJRC doesn’t do a lot of door knocking or organizing. But this election cycle is different, and while we have plenty of research and policies to discuss, we are switching it up this year to focus on civic engagement and “reimagining democracy.".

Here’s what we’re doing instead of the conference:

• We will be hosting a Count Us In Democracy Fair, designed by and for justice-impacted Minnesotans,  with resources and workshops focused on a wide range of topics such as know-your-rights education by the ACLU, a voting workshop from the League of Women Voters, and even a democracy-themed play by Mixed Blood Theater. 

• We will interview  the candidates for Hennepin County Attorney and share this content, supporting our community with an understanding not just of each candidate’s policy positions but their willingness to be a part of real system change. 

• We will expand our public safety efforts by hosting a conversation in partnership with the Minnesota Land of Neighbors campaign to explore how Minnesotans can focus on building bridges with their neighbors to create safer communities

• We will go door-to-door in three historically Black neighborhoods to better understand how the criminal legal system impacts these communities and why civic engagement is required for change. 

• Finally, after the election, we will invite community members to join us for an event on “Reimagining Democracy,” to debrief the results of the election with community and imagine what is possible under the new political landscape. 

All of these efforts will work to build a constituency laser-focused on how we administer justice in our state. 

Thus, in addition to reimagining justice this year, we at the MNJRC are advocating for Minnesotans to reimagine their relationship with democracy. Whether you’re passionate about specific candidates or not, we’re reminding folks that if justice matters to you, democracy should too. Join us in talking about and pushing for the fair, equitable, effective, responsive administration of justice.

This election and every election, justice is on the ballot. From a new Hennepin County Attorney, to judges, sheriffs, the Minnesota Attorney General, and prosecutors across the state, the people we vote in will have a direct hand in shaping what our criminal legal system will look like in the years to come. They’ll be the ones responding to the next officer-involved shooting; they’ll investigate human trafficking and sexual assault, address racial disparities, close another prison; they’ll be the ones to respond if the federal government invades our state again. 

From now through November, join us as we “Reimagine Democracy” and encourage Minnesotans to get to the polls in record numbers and elect just administrators of our system who will respond to the call to make Minnesota the safest place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

We'll update the links below with information about the events we have coming up—we hope you'll join the effort to build a truly nonpartisan campaign to transform our criminal legal system. Visit mnjrc.org/conference to learn more/stay posted.

• Knock the Block - Help us to canvass in historically Black neighborhoods and provide residents with voting information

  
  

• Hennepin County Attorney Candidate Interviews - Do your homework and understand where candidates stand on issues that matter to you

  
  

• Count Us In Democracy Fair - Do “democracy” in community and learn about voting rights and make a plan to vote

  
  

• Election Debrief - After the election, we'll get together and imagine what is possible in the justice landscape going forward

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Learn more at mnjrc.org/conference.