Prosecutors are usually fighting for convictions and to put people in jail, but on Thursday nearly 100 prosecutors and police came together for a different purpose; To commit to arresting and jailing fewer people.
“Our jails should not be filled with the people we’re mad at. Our jails should be filled with the people we are afraid of,” said Ronal Serpas, a former New Orleans police chief, Loyola University professor and executive director of the New York-based Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration.
Serpas was in Minnesota to talk to county attorneys and police agencies about how to best work within the confines of traditional law enforcement. He urged law enforcement to revamp mandatory minimum sentences, to increase mental health beds and to rethink the COMSTAT statistics that law enforcement usually uses to assess their work. Additionally, Serpas asked the group to consider a new goal.
“Fewer people go to jail. More people get mental health treatment. More people get social service wraparound treatments.”
Soft On Crime?
Serpas was joined by leading members of the local law enforcement community, including Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, Minneapolis City Attorney Susan Segal, as well as Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, Ramsey County Sheriff Jack Serier and St. Paul police Chief Todd Axtell. Nearly 100 members of their staff were also at the summit, and one of the key talking points among attendees was ensuring that the public was safe. The prevailing message was that law enforcement is not getting soft on crime, they are getting smart about it.
“This is not about being soft on crime,” said Axtell. “This is being smart on crime. The people in our community that victimize through violence … will still be going to jail. As a matter of fact, we can focus more on the people victimizing if we’re smart on the front end in putting the right people behind bars.”
Choi added that changes could come at the legislative and local levels, including more rehabilitation-focused sentences instead of jail for certain low level offenders, while Freeman said he wants to increase beds at mental health facilities throughout the state.
“We’re also working with veteran’s court, because there’s a lot more we can do to protect our veterans because they are committing crimes because they have PTSD, not necessarily criminal intent,” Freeman said.
City Attorney Susan Segal said that another aspect law enforcement may want to reevaluate is arresting individuals for certain warrant- or court-related crimes. She said research has shown that as many as 70 percent of court notices were returned in Hennepin County because people were no longer living at addresses on file, but warrants were still issued when offenders missed court. She would like individuals to be given a court date on the spot when they encounter a police officer for the first time after missing a previous court appearance.
“It avoids an arrest and jail time for the individual which is very disruptive to their life, particularly when it can be somebody who really, literally, did not know they were supposed to be in court.”
