September 9, 1999 - The insanity defense tends to get attention in sensational high-profile cases: Ted Kaczynski, Lorena Bobbitt, and most notoriously, John Hinckley. But successful use of the insanity defense is rare, even for defendants who *are* profoundly mentally ill. Defendants are found not guilty by reason of insanity in just half of one percent of all felony cases. In part three of our series on jailing the mentally ill...John Biewen of MPR's American RadioWorks documentary unit takes an in-depth look at the case of one Minnesota man. The case illustrates the difficulties of claiming legal insanity.
September 10, 1999 - The Justice Department estimates that 16% of all inmates in the United States have psychiatric problems. In this last installment of our series on mentally ill criminals, we look at the place where many advocates for the mentally ill say that the such criminals should be...a hospital. The Minnesota State Security hospital in Saint Peter acts as like a prison - patients must stay within the hospital grounds without special permission- AND a treatment center. Of the 350 patients.the majority carry the label "mentally ill and dangerous". They are the criminals who pose a significant threat to themselves or others AND have a severe mental affliction. Only about 18 to 20 people a year in Minnesota receive this designation, even though many more of the state's incarcerated population are also mentally ill. The hospital is not only better at treating the mentally ill than prison programs, it also better protects public safety. American RadioWorks' Stephanie Curtis reports.
December 10, 1999 - A special investigation has found no evidence that Senator Rod Grams asked for special treatment for his son, Morgan, during an encounter with Anoka County sheriff's deputies last summer. The investigation does accuse the deputies of failing to arrest Morgan Grams when they should have, and it leaves unanswered the question of WHY that happened.
December 31, 1999 - Among the new Minnesota laws that go into effect tomorrow is a requirement that police officers get more training for high-speed chases and emergency driving. Supporters say the training will better prepare law enforcement for the tense situations they encounter when deciding whether to pursue a suspect. But the family of one man killed by a squad car says the training doesn't go far enough.
March 2, 2000 - The Minnesota State Patrol is considering recording the race of every driver troopers pull over. The Patrol wants to make sure officers aren't making stops based on race. More than 100 other police agencies across the country have implimented similar plans over the last year in an effort to end so called "racial profiling." State Patrol Major Dennnis Lazenberry is overseeing the project. He says the study is a precautionary measure.
April 14, 2000 - Minneapolis and St. Paul police officers will soon start tracking the race of people they pull over for traffic stops. African American citizens have long said the police pull them over *because* of their race. Now, the two biggest police departments in the state will collect data to see for themselves if it's true.
April 17, 2000 - Justice in Black and White: The Justice Gap The news last week that both Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments will start keeping track of the race of people pulled over in traffic stops is part of a much broader look at racism in Minnesota's criminal justice system. The study examines a state report which shows black men in Minnesota are sent to prison at a rate more than three times the national average. In fact, Minnesota's imprisonment ratio of blacks to whites is twenty-five to one - the highest of any state in the country. Some say racism is behind the disparity. Others say the causes are more complex.
June 12, 2000 - Mike Edgerly talks with University of Toledo law professor David Harris and DFL State Senator and former Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Jane Ranum about racial disparities in the justice system. We will also talk to Republican State Representative and Minneapolis Police Captain Rich Stanek, who chairs the House Crime Prevention Committee.
June 14, 2000 - A Minnesota Senate Committee is gathering information on the problem known as racial profiling. The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing today on racial profiling which is the practice of suspecting minorities of criminal activity simply because of their race. Joining us on the line to talk about the hearing is the chair of that committee DFL Senator Jane Ranum.
June 15, 2000 - Minnesota state senators say combating the disproportionate targeting of minorities in traffic stops will be a high priority in next year's legislative session, and they envision bills requiring data collection on the practice statewide. At a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Crime Prevention comittees Wednesday, Twin Cities minorities described repeated traffic stops which they believe resulted from so-called "racial profiling." They said something must be done in order for minorities to have any confidence in the law enforcement and justice systems. Metro-area police departments have begun collecting information on racial profiling, but legislators say stronger efforts are needed.