Faced with rising concerns over youth crime, Minnesota lawmakers are poised to pass the most significant changes in a generation to the state's troubled juvenile justice system.

An expansive public safety bill being debated Monday seeks to reduce juvenile crime by creating a new, statewide office that would encourage alternative approaches to holding youth accountable without sentencing them in courts. The measures would also pour tens of millions of dollars into local youth intervention programs designed to steer children away from the criminal justice system.

Lawmakers are set to reach agreement on a proposal that would provide a second chance to minors sentenced to life in prison without parole - a practice widely condemned as inhumane by child advocates. A newly created state board would have the power to release inmates into community supervision programs such as probation if they have already served at least 15 years.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-colorado-juvenile-justice-crime-youth-restorative-probation-legislature-prison-justice/600275115/