Purpose

• To increase transparency by requiring the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to create and maintain a publicly searchable database that shows information about criminal sentences that the courts either stayed or imposed.

Main Provisions

• Add Subdivision 6a to Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 244.09.
• The Commission must maintain a public website with a searchable database that provides information on criminal sentences stayed or imposed by the courts.
• The database must only include information that is public data (as defined by law) and must contain all information transmitted from the sentencing court to the Commission, including:
  • Information in the sentencing worksheet (as transmitted under law)
  • The sentencing order
  • The departure report, if any (as sent under court rules)
• Data must be entered into separate fields in the database.
• The searchable database must allow users to:
  • Search by multiple fields, including but not limited to case number, defendant name, date of offense, judicial district, county, year, judge, the crime, defendant’s criminal history score, offense severity, executed sentences (length of sentence imposed and executed), stayed sentences (length of probation ordered and, if applicable, length of sentence imposed but not executed)
  • Indicate whether the sentence was a departure from the Sentencing Guidelines, and if so, the type of departure (aggravated durational, aggravated dispositional, mitigated durational, mitigated dispositional, or hybrid)
  • Indicate whether a departure from the Guidelines was ordered with prosecutor agreement
  • Perform a search using at least two fields
  • Sort by each field
  • Obtain information grouped or aggregated by each field where feasible
  • Download the data into a user-controlled database

Funding and Implementation

• Sec. 2: Public Database Appropriation
  • In fiscal years 2026 and 2027, funds from the general fund are appropriated to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to develop and maintain the publicly searchable database described above.
  • The base level of funding for this appropriation appears in fiscal year 2028 and thereafter.

Relationship to Existing Law

• The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 244.09 by adding a new subdivision (6a) to authorize and govern the publicly searchable database.

Relevant notes on scope and data handling - The database must exclude information that is not public data. - Information to be included covers both the execution of sentences and stayed sentences, including probation details and whether deviations from guidelines occurred. - The database intends to support transparency by allowing public search, sorting, aggregation, and data download, supporting researchers, policymakers, and the public’s understanding of sentencing trends.

Relevant Terms - publicly searchable database - Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission - public data (as defined in section 13.02 subdivision 8a) - sentencing worksheet - sentencing order - departure report - rule 27.03 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure - departure from the Sentencing Guidelines - aggravated durational - aggravated dispositional - mitigated durational - mitigated dispositional - hybrid departure - prosecutor agreement - case number - defendant name - date of offense - judicial district - county - year - judge - crime - criminal history score - severity level - executed sentences - stayed sentences - probation - data download - public transparency - general fund appropriation - fiscal year 2026 - fiscal year 2027 - fiscal year 2028 and thereafter