A nearly 60-year-old Minneapolis-based nonprofit focused on helping people involved in the criminal justice system has closed its doors and laid off its nine employees and three contractors.
Employees of the Council on Crime and Justice said they still have not received their last paychecks covering two to three weeks of pay since their May 12 layoff. They were given two hours on Friday to clean out their desks at the council's office at 822 S. 3rd St.
"They told us that if we went through bankruptcy we're third in line," said Sarah Salsgiver, the council's crime victim and advocacy coordinator. "Taxes and loans come first."
Board president Perry Moriearty said the council is working to get employees their checks.
"Making sure that happens is our first priority," said Moriearty, a University of Minnesota law professor.
The council started in 1957 and has a mission to "seek a criminal justice system that is equitable and just," according to its website.
The council helped criminal offenders get their records expunged and find jobs and housing. It offered a hot line for crime victims seeking reparations and counseling, and worked with prisoners to be better parents once they were released. The council also conducted more than three dozen research projects since 1999 centered on criminal justice.
More recently, the council helped to pass the "ban the box" law, which prohibits employers from asking about criminal histories when people first apply for jobs.
