Minnesota Agencies

By August 1, 2013, the Department of Public Safety shall convene a working group to study how restitution is currently being requested, ordered, and collected in Minnesota.

The working group must review, assess, and make specific recommendations with regard to the following areas: the process by which restitution is requested by victims and ordered by the court, including procedures used by prosecutors' offices, probation and court services, and court administration; the statutory mechanisms for collecting restitution, including the establishment of payment plans, revenue recapture, and entry of civil judgments; state and local policies, procedures, and strategies for collecting restitution, including restitution collection units, designated restitution probation officers, and department of corrections administrative policies; and the extent to which data on restitution is collected.

The commissioner of public safety shall file a report detailing the working group's findings and recommendations with the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate committees having jurisdiction over criminal justice policy and funding by January 15, 2015.

In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature directed the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to convene a working group to study how restitution for victims in criminal cases is requested, ordered, and collected in Minnesota. The legislation creating the Restitution Working Group (RWG) arose from informal discussions among stakeholders with concerns about the current restitution process and the lack of information about the extent to which restitution is paid.

A key responsibility of the RWG was to collect information about how restitution is requested, ordered, and collected in Minnesota. Following 10 months of work, the RWG requested that the Minnesota Legislature consider a comprehensive legislative proposal submitted in the 2016 session. Further, the RWG requested continued support from the Legislature for all efforts aimed at increasing the efficiency of the process, improving the likelihood of collecting restitution, and focusing efforts on those offenders with the ability to pay restitution.

The commissioner of public safety shall invite representatives from the Department of Corrections, city and county prosecuting agencies, statewide crime victim coalitions, Minnesota Judicial Branch, county probation departments, Minnesota Association of Community Corrections Act counties, Minnesota Board of Public Defenders, and other interested parties to participate in the working group.