On November 6, the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission voted 6-5 to advance a proposal to cap probation sentences at five years. State Representative Jack Considine (DFL-Mankato), Chair of the Corrections Division, commended the commission’s decision.
“I support action taken by the commission to advance a proposal to cap probation sentences at five years, a proposal that received public hearings and was approved this year by the Minnesota House,” said Considine. “This issue is nothing new — it’s been under intense public scrutiny for years. Minnesotans and public safety experts are telling us that our current system isn’t working well for a lot of people, particularly those in Greater Minnesota where we’re finding many of the outliers. Freeing up public resources for intensive supervision for people who need it would be a step in the right direction, so I commend Commissioner Schnell and the commission for moving this urgent conversation forward.”