III.1. Update from Judge Bernhardson; Mornson
CITY OF HOPKINS
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
From: Mike Mornson, City Manager
Date: October 15, 2019
Subject: Update from Judge Bernhardson
_____________________________________________________________________
Hennepin County District Court’s Chief Judge Ivy Bernhardson would appreciate the
opportunity to give a brief update/report to the City Council about the work being done
in our courts.
City Manager
To provide jusƟce through a system that assures equal access for the fair and Ɵmely
resoluƟon of cases and controversies.
Personnel:
63 judges (number set by Legislature)
12 referees (specialized judicial officers)
564 staff (full‐Ɵme‐equivalent)
Divisions:
Civil
Criminal
Family
Juvenile
Probate/Mental Health
LocaƟons:
5 locaƟons in downtown Minneapolis and two suburban
courts with county libraries and service centers:
Brookdale, Brooklyn Center; Ridgedale, Minnetonka
Large Urban Court:
22% of Minnesotans live in Hennepin
County
In 2018, handled 39.5% of the state’s
trial court case filings (486,137)
One of the largest urban counƟes in the
naƟon
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Juror stats in 2018:
942 jury trials requested (836 criminal,
106 civil)
26,572 ciƟzens summoned
Persons of color comprised 20.7% of
persons serving as jurors
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Ivy Bernhardson, Chief Judge
612‐348‐2554
Ivy.Bernhardson@courts.state.mn.us
Sarah Lindahl‐Pfieffer, District Court Administrator
612‐596‐1090
Sarah.Lindahl‐Pfieffer@courts.state.mn.us
Mike Valleau, LegislaƟve Liaison
612‐596‐7478
Michael.Valleau@courts.state.mn.us
Website: www.mncourts.gov/hennepin
Focus on Quality of JusƟce: Treatment
Courts Model
Specialized treatment courts include Criminal
Mental Health Court, Drug Court, DWI Court,
RestoraƟve Court, and Veterans Court
High‐risk, high‐need populaƟon with a
treatable condiƟon
Protects public safety and due process
Non‐adversarial prosecutor/defense counsel
Intensive judicial/probaƟonary supervision
More immediate/Ɵmely incenƟves and
sancƟons
Challenges
Felony filings up 10% over five‐year average
Many criminal defendants suffer from drug or
alcohol addicƟon or abuse, mental illness, or a
physical disability.
ConƟnued increase in domesƟc abuse Order for
ProtecƟon case filings
Child in Need of ProtecƟon Services (CHIPS) caseload
conƟnues to increase
Many liƟgants are self‐represented. At least one
party is without an aƩorney in most family and minor
civil cases.
Interpreter requests for more than 100 languages
provided annually (9,870 requests last year)
NaƟonal AdopƟon Day CelebraƟon
22 families adopted 38 children in one day
172 children adopted in Hennepin County last year
Fourth District Updates & InnovaƟons
An efficient, electronic court: paperless court files, effecƟve electronic workflows and queues, customer
kiosks, and digital signage
TexƟng and emailing to defendants to remind them of court hearings: reduced failure to appear for
hearings by 35%
Adult DetenƟon IniƟaƟve: focusing on pretrial detenƟon only for defendants who pose a public safety
risk or risk of not reappearing
Pioneered a validated and locally normed Pretrial Scale that has been used for decades and is race and
gender neutral. This tool allows judges to make objecƟve release decisions.
Juvenile DetenƟon AlternaƟves IniƟaƟve (JDAI): 59% decrease in daily populaƟon at Juvenile DetenƟon
Center; 37% decrease in out‐of‐home placements