Policy - Better Futures Minnesota

How “technical violations” lead to revolving doors of Minnesota prisons

24 Apr 2017 Community Impact, Policy

In Minnesota, nearly 100,000 people are under probation—a form of supervised release that often includes strict daily check-ins with supervising officers. In fact, Minnesota has one of the highest probation rates in the country, leaving some people under supervised probation for 10, even 20 years. According to a recent Star Tribune story, Minnesota is tied…

Minnesota’s landfill problem: What can be done?

7 Feb 2017 Environmental Impact, Policy

Across the world, forward-thinking cities, municipalities, and lawmakers are thinking about landfill waste in new ways. In July, for example, Portland, Ore. became the first city in the country to ensure that valuable materials from demolished houses are salvaged for reuse instead of crushed and landfilled. Here in the Twin Cities, landfilling is becoming a growing problem, according…

Deconstruction and reuse can offset CO2 emissions in Minnesota

14 Mar 2016 Environmental Impact, Policy

A 2015 Yale University study shows that 12.8 percent of total materials in landfills is construction and demolition waste. Of those building materials, nearly 80 percent could have been recycled or reused. Better Futures Minnesota’s deconstruction services recycles or reuses 75 to 85 percent of all building materials. In 2015, through our deconstruction services and ReUse Warehouse,…

Minnesota can lead by restoring voting rights

9 Feb 2016 News & Events, Policy

Across the country, states are considering expanding the right to vote to people who have served their time and are released from prison. Most recently, the Maryland legislature expanded the right to vote to felons who have been released, one of the most significant expansions of voting rights in the last five years. Currently, only Maine and Vermont impose…