Last reviewed November 2009
Resources on Minnesota Issues
Crime & Corrections in Minnesota
This guide is compiled by staff at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library on a topic of interest to Minnesota legislators. It is designed to provide an introduction to the topic, directing the user to a variety of sources, and is not intended to be exhaustive. In particular, it is focused on items available in the Legislative Reference Library.
For the state of Minnesota, the most comprehensive source of statistical information about crime is Minnesota Crime Information, an annual publication of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. First compiled in 1934, this publication allows for the comparison of crime statistics from year to year. The latest edition reports that "In 2007 Minnesota recorded a 2.6% decrease in Part 1 crimes ("serious" crime classifications). The violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) decreased 9% and property crimes (burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson) decreased 1.9 %".
SIGNIFICANT BOOKS AND REPORTS:
Chronic Offenders. St. Paul: Office of the Legislative Auditor, Program Evaluation Division, 2001. (HV6049 .Y86 2001)
Community Supervision of Sex Offenders. St. Paul: Office of the Legislative Auditor, Program Evaluation Division, 2005. (HV6592 .A48 2005)
Crime State Rankings. Lawrence, KS : Morgan Quitno Corporation, 2009. (HV6787 .C75 2009)
Criminal Victimization 2007. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2007. (REF HV7245 .N375 2007)
McKnight, Deborah. Expungement of Criminal Records. St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department, (Revised 2005). (KFM5992.5 .M34)
Megan’s Law in Minnesota: The Impact of Community Notification on Sex Offender Recidivism. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2008. (HV6592 .M44 2008)
Minnesota Crime in Perspective. Lawrence, KS: Morgan Quitno Corporation, 2008. (REF HV6793.M6 M54 2008)
Minnesota Crime Information - 2008. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. (REF HV7273 .A253) (Required by Minnesota Statutes section 299C.18)
Pirius, Rebecca & Judith Zollar. Crime Victim Laws in Minnesota: An Overview. St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department, Revised: September 2007. (KFM5994.Z9 C74 2007)
Safe at Home: 2002 Minnesota Crime Survey. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs, [2003]. (HV6793.M6 S24 2003)
Sex Offender Recidivism in Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Corrections, April 2007. (HV6592 .S49 2007)
Shapiro, Emily. Crime Victim Laws in Minnesota: An Overview. St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department, 2007. (KFM5994.Z9 C74 2007)
Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). (REF HV6787.A3)
Zollar, Judith. Sex Offenders and Predatory Offenders: Minnesota Criminal and Civil Regulatory Laws. St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department, Updated September 2003. (KFM5967.S3 Z65 2003)
SIGNIFICANT INTERNET RESOURCES:
Minnesota Department of Administration Office of Geographic and Demographic Analysis Products and Services: Crime and Criminals.
Minnesota House of Representatives House Research Criminal Justice publications.
Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota) Criminal Justice reports.
United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Criminal Victimization publications
See also the Firearm Carry Laws issue guide created by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
Links to criminal justice information are found on the Library's Links to the World Criminal Justice page.
ADDITIONAL LIBRARY RESOURCES:
Check the following codes in the Newspaper Clipping File and the Vertical File:
- Codes for clippings from 1999 to date:
C152 (Crime and Criminals), C152C (Crime & Criminals - Corrections), C152C.10 (Crime & Criminals - Corrections - Prisons), C152.5J (Crime & Criminals - Juvenile Crime)
- Codes for clippings prior to 1999 and the Vertical File:
C120 (Corrections), C152 (Crime and Criminals), I44 (Institutions - Correctional), J22.2 (Juvenile Crime)
For additional articles, check the following Inside Issues headings: Crime-MN, Crime and Corrections, Alternatives to Jail, Crime Prevention, Criminal Laws, Death Penalty, Domestic Abuse, Gun Control, Inmates, Juvenile Justice, Cybercrime, Police, Prisons/Jails, Sentences, Sex Crimes, Stalking.
For additional reports at the Legislative Reference Library, use these
Library catalog searches:
Crime (Minnesota);
Correctional Facilities (Minnesota);
Sentences (Minnesota);
Prisoners (Minnesota);
Recidivism;
Juvenile Delinquency (Minnesota);
Sex Offenders;
Family Violence.
