The Youth Justice Council is looking to fill six open seats for its Executive Steering Committee.

Position details

These are community representative seats that include individuals from impacted communities of color, faith-based communities, community providers, youth, education professionals, mental health practitioners, parents, business leaders and/or mentors, and other concerned citizens.

• Community members who fill these six seats will be compensated $20 per hour.
• These positions will generally require attendance of a once a month meeting, unless otherwise determined.
• The deadline to apply for these positions has been extended to Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.

Apply for these positions online.

About the Executive Steering Committee 

The Executive Steering Committee serves as the governing and voting body of the Youth Justice Council. The committee considers proposals or initiatives related to the Youth Justice Council and makes the final recommendations to the members of the council to achieve a juvenile justice system that is equitable, fair, and effective. This oversight includes and is not limited to:

• Identifying priorities;
• Convening workgroups and committees to develop and implement initiatives that advance the Youth Justice Council goals and priorities;
• Monitor and review of on-going projects at regular monthly meetings; and
• Approve recommendations from the sub-committees and workgroups regarding modifications to Hennepin County policies and practices relative to juvenile justice practices.

The membership of the Executive Steering Committee consists of the following members:

• One (1) representative from the following justice system partners; Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation, Juvenile Probation, Fourth Judicial District Court, Human Services, Juvenile facilities;
• The Youth Justice Council Tri-Chairs;
• The Youth Justice Council committee and subcommittee chairs; and
•  Six (6) community representatives. 

Questions? 

Questions about these positions or the Youth Justice Council can be directed to Adesola Jaiyesimi, Youth Justice Council coordinator, at Adesola.Jaiyesimi@hennepin.us.

Upcoming meetings

June 2021

Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Meeting will be held virtually, join online
June meeting agenda (PDF)
Hennepin County alternatives to probation (PDF)

September 2021

Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 3:30 – 5:30 pm

December 2021

Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 3:30 – 5:30 pm

Past meetings

Meeting agendas and minutes are available for meetings that have occurred within the past 12 months.

March 2021

• March meeting minutes (PDF)
• March agenda (PDF)

February 2021

• February meeting minutes (PDF)
• February agenda (PDF)

January 21, 2021

• January agenda, community partnership agreement, and potential focus areas (PDF)
• January meeting minutes (PDF)

The Youth Justice Council is a collaborative effort among Hennepin County juvenile justice system stakeholders and community members who are committed to creating an equitable, fair, and effective juvenile justice system.

The mission of the Youth Justice Council is to improve and reform the juvenile justice system by eliminating the unnecessary use of secure detention, eliminating disparities based on race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability and providing resources to effective community-based and culturally appropriate services for youth and their families.

Youth Justice Council charter (PDF)

Sub-committees

The Youth Justice Council has several sub-committees that help guide future work.

• Executive Steering Committee
• Eliminating Racial Disparities
• Assessment Tool Workgroup
• Underserved Youth Committee
• Youth Advisory Board

Guiding principles

The work of the Youth Justice Council is guided by the following core principles:

• Secure detention will be used per statute definitions only for those youth who pose a risk to public safety, who won’t appear in court despite the use of alternatives;
• Promoting and enhancing community safety through a lens of recognizing, and investing in the strengths of youth, families and their communities while ensuring connections to resources and opportunity are present;
• Decisions regarding who should be held in secure detention will be based on an objective and validated Risk Assessment Instrument (RAI);
• No youth shall be disparately impacted at any stage of the juvenile justice system based on race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identify or disability;
• Effective, evidence-based, promising, culturally appropriate and community-based services will be developed for youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system to maximize positive outcomes for youth, their families, and the community;
• Community members, youth, and their families will be encouraged to participate within all aspects of the Youth Justice Council;
• Data collection and data analysis will be used to assess the status of our practices, identify problems or issues within the juvenile justice system, and evaluate programs and practices to drive policy decisions and system reform.

The Youth Justice Council will be chaired by one community representative (non-Hennepin County employee) and two Hennepin County juvenile justice system representatives. Members include a diverse group of community representatives, including youth, and juvenile justice system stakeholders.

Youth Justice Council

Chairs

Dr. Brittany Lewis, Humphrey Institute

Judge Mark Kappelhoff, Juvenile Court

Jerald Moore, Juvenile Probation Division Manager

Members

Members of the Youth Justice Council will represent the following designated areas:

• Community representatives: 12 members (to include representatives from the impacted communities of color, faith-based community, community providers, parents and other concerned citizens)
• Hennepin County Attorney's Office: 1 member
• Hennepin County Board of Commissioners: 1 member
• Hennepin County Community Corrections and Rehabilitation: 1 member
• Hennepin County Human Services: 1 member
• Juvenile Court Judge: 1 member
• Minneapolis Police Department: 1 member
• Minneapolis School District: 1 member
• Public Defender's Office: 1 member
• Steering Committee Chairs: 3 members
• Suburban Police Department: 1 member
• Youth Justice Council Coordinator: 1 member

Sub-committee chairs

• Eliminating Racial Disparities:Sarah Davis, Legal Rights Center and Willie Bridges, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
• Assessment Tool Workgroup: Adesola Oni
• Underserved Youth Committee: Beth Holger, The Link; Judge Amy Dawson, Juvenile Court; and Judge Kathryn Quaintance, Juvenile Court
• Youth Advisory Board: Annastasia Guilfoyle, YMCA

Documents

Juvenile justice system review report (PDF)

Hennepin County alternatives to probation (PDF)

Data

Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation data portal

Hennepin County Attorney's Office data dashboard