Published by the Tribal Youth Resource Center in December 2024, this publication examines the current state of data collection and reporting related to Tribal youth involvement in Minnesota’s juvenile justice system. Despite the growing recognition of the need for targeted interventions, there is a significant gap in the availability of comprehensive, accurate, and consistent data on Native youth in the justice system. The absence of this data impedes effective policymaking, program design, and the ability to track the outcomes and needs of this vulnerable population.
We adopted a case study approach to conduct a data scan on incarcerated Native youth, focusing on a single state to develop a manageable and replicable search strategy. This approach allowed for a deeper examination of data pathways and the refinement of a methodology that could be adapted for broader national studies. Minnesota was chosen based on several factors: its high population of Native youth; the state juvenile justice system’s problematic history of engagement with Tribal communities, which offers a meaningful context for studying existing data gaps; and the jurisdictional complexity which involves federal, state and Tribal justice systems, allowing us to study intersecting systems. Additionally, Minnesota’s recent efforts at criminal justice reform and addressing racial and ethnic disparities created a supportive environment that facilitated this inquiry.
Key data scan questions guided the process, including the number of incarcerated Native youth, types of offenses, age ranges, length of detention, and tracking of Tribal affiliation by juvenile detention centers (JDCs). The research focused on secure and non-secure detention facilities, including regional and county JDCs, as well as the state-operated Minnesota Correctional Facility—Red Wing. The data scan process included extensive outreach to JDCs via phone and email to obtain de-identified data, with an emphasis on collaboration with facility staff to gather accurate information. However, challenges included delays in response and difficulty locating the appropriate contacts at some JDCs. Ultimately, data was collected from four out of ten targeted JDCs, which was used to perform composite descriptive analyses.
