Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Wednesday that her office is opening an application process to more than 2,000 incarcerated people to request a reduced sentence.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty opens application process for incarcerated people to request reduced sentences
The initiative stems from a new Minnesota law passed in 2023.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 7, 2024 at 9:38PM
The Minnesota Legislature in 2023 signed off on Prosecutor-Initiated Sentence Adjustment, a law that allows prosecutors to ask a judge to adjust the sentences of past criminal prosecutions. It’s the discretion of each county attorney’s office to decide whether it will use the new law. But ultimately it’s up to a judge to readjust a sentence if they find substantial and compelling reasons.
In a news release, Moriarty said an original sentence may not serve the interest of justice or public safety.
“It’s our responsibility as prosecutors to seek justice,” she continued. “Protecting public safety does not end at sentencing. More people are serving time in prison for Hennepin County convictions than any other county. This new process will help us consider individual cases in a fair, transparent way.”
Moriarty’s office will partner with lawyers at the University of St. Thomas School of Law to review and process applications. It intends to prioritize applicants with no other pending cases who have served more than three years and are not scheduled for release until at least 2027.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, who advocated for the new law, has said his office is reviewing all cases and pre-screening them for priority consideration. Choi states on his website that he supports the ability to adjust a sentence because it may no longer serve interests of justice, protect the public or be a good use of resources.
Some of the state’s largest victim-survivor coalitions, Violence Free Minnesota and the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, supported the new law. Victims and their families have the right to provide input and make statements to the court about a possible sentence adjustment.
More about Moriarty’s new initiative and applications are available on her website.
The change is one of many the DFL-controlled Legislature and Gov. Tim Walz made to the prison system in the recent session. Inmates can now make free phone calls to friends and family and work toward earlier release through the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act, which pushes them toward therapy and education.
Star Tribune staff writer Rochelle Olson contributed to this report.
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
