Summary of Minnesota Senate Bill S.F. No. 1908

This bill aims to enhance public safety by mandating the collection, reporting, and public accessibility of detailed information on criminal cases in Minnesota.

Key Provisions:

1. Data Collection Requirements:

   • Criminal justice officials or entities must collect and report specific data on jail detainees and criminal defendants, including:
     
     • Personal information (name, aliases, birth year, age at arrest, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, and primary language).
       
     • Booking and release dates.
       
     • Details of pending cases, charges, and their outcomes.
       
     • Bail or bond information, including judges presiding over bail hearings, pretrial release conditions, risk assessment scores, and revocations.
       
     • Court hearings, sentencing details, fines, and restitution payments.
       

2. Reporting and Repository Management:

   • This data must be forwarded to the Sentencing Guidelines Commission (SGC) and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) in a standardized manner.
     
   • The BCA will serve as the central repository for storing and managing the collected data.
     

3. Sentencing Guidelines Commission Responsibilities:

   • The SGC will collaborate with stakeholders (law enforcement, courts, public defenders, prosecutors, etc.) to evaluate data collection and pretrial policies.
     
   • The BCA must submit annual reports on collected data to the SGC, which will analyze trends and provide insights to the legislature.
     
   • The commission may contract with research organizations to study current and historical criminal justice practices.
     

4. Public Dashboard:

   • By July 1, 2030, the BCA must create an online, interactive public dashboard to allow public access to collected criminal case data.
     

5. Appropriations (Funding):

   • Allocates funds for:
     
     • The SGC to implement the bill and contract research organizations.
       
     • The Commissioner of Public Safety to provide grants to criminal justice agencies to hire additional staff, upgrade case management systems, and implement new data collection processes.
       
     • The BCA to cover the costs of implementing and maintaining the data system and public dashboard.
       

Purpose & Impact:

• Transparency and Accountability: Makes criminal justice data publicly accessible to analyze trends and disparities.
  
• Criminal Justice Reform: Supports data-driven decision-making for policy improvements.
  
• Efficiency: Standardizes data collection across agencies to improve reporting accuracy.
  

This bill seeks to enhance Minnesota’s public safety system by ensuring comprehensive data collection and transparent reporting on criminal cases.