Gov. Tim Walz is convening a new bipartisan council to study how Minnesota reintegrates people from the criminal justice system back into society — and how it can better reduce recidivism in the state.

The Governor's Council on Justice Reinvestment — established last week via an executive order — arrives amid sustained debate over crime in Minnesota. The 15-member group will review state spending on probation and supervised release plans and create a new model for distributing resources to communities based on need.

Walz's order acknowledged "critical and difficult conversations about the efficiency and effectiveness of criminal justice system interventions" and crime prevention. He set a Feb. 1 deadline for the council to deliver recommendations. He vowed that the council would build "data-driven policies that will make Minnesota's criminal justice system more effective, fair and equitable."

"To keep Minnesota a great place for kids to grow up, we need safe neighborhoods and communities," Walz said in a statement announcing the council. "For that to happen, we must deal with crime and violence in ways that are grounded in data and research, not politics."

Walz, in his executive order, wrote that Minnesota has yet to conduct a "holistic assessment" of how the state's community supervision system is funded. Walz's office said a little more than a fifth of the state's $600 million in annual spending on corrections is dedicated to community supervision — even though Minnesota has the nation's fifth-highest rate of people on probation.

Recidivism remains a challenge: More than 60% of prison admissions are based on supervision revocations, according to data from Walz's office. The state meanwhile has struggled to combat racial and ethnic disparities among people serving felony probation sentences.

Minnesota is among more than 30 states to now look at the model known as justice reinvestment. Walz's new council is supported by grant funding through the Council of State Governments Justice Center and with help from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Walz appointed state Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, to co-chair the council alongside Kevin Reese, co-founder and co-executive director of Until We Are All Free.

In a statement, Rosen described her role as an "opportunity to dig into the best way to keep Minnesota safe because what is happening in some counties and many cities across the state right now is clearly not working."

"I'm particularly interested in examining the funding for community supervision, and how we can ensure taxpayer resources are reducing crime rates, lowering recidivism, and ultimately, creating safer communities," Rosen said.

Other members include state legislators, county government officials, tribal leaders, judges and criminal justice professionals. The governor will be in charge of filling any vacancies on the council.