Judges, prosecutors and others in the criminal justice system are making fateful decisions every day about people's lives with information that we know is often sadly incomplete. Indeed, our gaps in information are sometimes more like grand canyons. For example, Minnesota does not have a statewide database of people on probation. Nor do we have a statewide system to track misdemeanor offenders. Sometimes, our prosecutors must literally call around to local police departments to find out if defendants have misdemeanor records in other communities where they have lived.
Criminals freely cross city, county and state lines all the time.
Our information about criminals needs to do the same. The lack of comprehensive information on misdemeanor offenders and individuals on probation is a special concern because serious criminals often start out committing lower-level offenses. They can reoffend again and again, in different jurisdictions, while escaping serious attention. There are now serious planning efforts underway to improve information access, most notably with planning for a statewide criminal justice information system. The Legislature and the governor have encouraged innovative ideas across the state.