Criminal Justice Advocacy Team

The Criminal Justice Ministry established itself to examine the intersection of criminal justice and mental health of adults in our community. The Advocacy Team of that ministry is now looking at Juvenile Justice and Mental Health and we invite you to join us as we educate ourselves on this topic. Meetings will be held the third Tuesday of the month at The Basilica from 5:30 – 7:00 pm and will include dinner, presentations by community experts, and discussion. There will be a Zoom option as well. NEXT MEETINGS: March 24: Mark Bliven, retired Director of Risk Assessment/Community Notification with the Minnesota Department of Corrections. He will discuss the issue of Juvenile Predatory Offender Registration and the lifetime effect of this registration for juveniles (please note this is the 4th Tuesday of the month for this meeting) April 21: Matt Bauer is the superintendent of the Dakota County Juvenile Services Center and a member of the Minnesota Juvenile Detention Association. He will discuss his experiences in the juvenile system. May 19: Kara Beckman is a researcher at the University of Minnesota Medical School where she conducts applied research with partners in education and juvenile justice, including with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. She has testified on her research at the Minnesota Legislature. June 16: TBD Contact Janet Grove at jggrove@embarqmail.com for questions or to RSVP.