Home for Good:
A Campaign to Expand MN Work Release
Work Release Campaign
No matter where we come from or what we look like, most Minnesotans believe that all people deserve dignity and a chance to make things right when things go wrong. Yet, in Minnesota, there are a handful of powerful and wealthy people who benefit from perpetually punishing folks for actions they took on their worst day. By coming together across race, place and background to expand MN Work Release, we can have thriving, restored communities. Minnesotans deserve to come home for good to work, live, go to school, and be with their families. We want to build communities that contribute to unity, dignity and safety for all.
What is work release?
What is Work Release?
It is a Minnesota Law (Statute 244.065) that allows the ​Commissioner of Corrections to conditionally release ​incarcerated people to seek paid employment and ​participate in vocational or educational programs if they ​have served at least "one half their term of imprisonment."
Current program enrollment
194 people are currently enrolled--that's only 12% of those eligible to participate.
22.5%
1,632 people, or 22.5% of the MN prison population, meet WR criteria and have been assessed as low-risk.
Benefits of Work Release
Expanding Work Release is a no-brainer. It saves money while lowering crime and the impacts of mass incarceration on the community.
Eases Re-Entry
A 2014 MN DOC evaluation showed that participants in Work Release earned an additional $5,000 their first year out.
Reduces Recidivism
The same evaluation showed that the program reduced re-arrest, conviction, and incarceration rates by 15%.
Saves Taxpayer Money
Work release is less expensive than incarceration. For each person in Work Release, taxpayers save up to $16,086/year.
Campaign Demands
Personal Stories
Work Release in the News
MN DOC Policy Research
Supporting Work Release