Job Description

Minnesota Justice Research Center
Pretrial Best Practices - Research Assistant

Role: Research Assistant (qualitative)
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Compensation: $40.00 per hour
Industry: Criminal legal system/Social-science Research
Position Type: Part time hourly (~10 hrs/week), temporary term/project-limited
(running from January 2024 through February 2025 with the option for extension into the summer of 2025)
Required Experience: 1-4 years of qualitative research experience
Required Education: Bachelor's Degree PLUS enrollment in or completion of
Graduate Degree
Applications/Resumes accepted until: Until position is filled (or early Feb 2024)

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
The Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to driving meaningful change to Minnesota’s criminal legal system through rigorous and community-centered research, education, and policy development.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
Building off our previous work, the MNJRC is now engaged in studying pretrial release best practices in Minnesota and across the country. Based on this research and conversations with communities from across the state, MNJRC will provide recommendations to the legislature for advancing pretrial justice in Minnesota.

A basic tenet of our judicial system is that all people, regardless of race, class, or identity, are presumed innocent until proven guilty of a crime in the court of law.
Pretrial release practices should be aligned with the presumption of innocence
(regardless of financial means or past behavior) while also serving the goals of ensuring reappearance in court and protecting public safety. Minnesota’s pretrial system falls far short of this legal expectation.

What are the best practices for transforming our pretrial process? What would an ideal pretrial system in Minnesota look like? These are the central questions we seek to answer. Our research will examine both tried-and-true practices and recent innovations that local, state, and federal jurisdictions have developed for reducing costly pretrial detention of low-risk defendants, monitoring and assisting released mnjrc.org

defendants, addressing victims’ needs and concerns, and reducing disparities based on race and economic status.

We will connect our analysis with the legal landscape in Minnesota and to community perspectives to offer recommendations to the legislature on how we can move our system toward a better administration of pretrial justice.

ROLE OVERVIEW
We are seeking a research assistant to join our Pretrial Best Practices research team who brings experience in qualitative research methodology, knowledge about or interest in the criminal legal system (and especially the pretrial space), and a commitment to community-engaged action research. This role will report to the
Project Manager/Research Co-lead.

RESPONSIBILITIES
● Supporting research design and creation of materials including interview protocols and participant recruitment efforts
● Conducting social science background research including drafting annotated bibliographies and literature reviews
● Working with research team to conduct outreach and recruit interview and focus group/community education participants
● Conducting in-depth interviews with a wide range of people, including defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges, who are connected to pretrial processes in Minnesota and across the country

● Conducting ethnographic observations of pretrial processes in Minnesota and potentially around the country

● Documenting community engagement efforts
● Assisting in data analysis including data cleaning and processing, transcribing, coding, and theme generation
● Assisting in development of the final research product, including outlining, writing, and editing the report

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
● Bachelor's Degree PLUS enrollment in or completion of Graduate Degree
● 1-4 years of qualitative research experience, either during Graduate studies or through work experience at a research organization or institution
● Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with qualitative research methodology
● Excellent written and verbal communications skills
● Reliable computer access and internet mnjrc.org

● Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work with a diverse clientele
● Ability to work as part of a team in a dynamic and virtual environment
● Ability to travel across the state (and potentially out-state) with team

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
● Graduate degree in criminology, sociology, or other relevant social science
● Knowledge of the Minnesota legal system—and, ideally, pretrial system—and a firm commitment to understanding and transforming how we think about justice in Minnesota

● Experience working with and engaging diverse populations in research efforts
● Experience engaging in critical research methodology
● Personal experience with the criminal legal system
● Publications in academic and non-academic contexts

HOW TO APPLY
Please send a brief cover letter, resume/CV, and a sample of a past research product
(e.g. a report or publication) all in one document (PDF preferred if possible) to info@mnjrc.org. Please highlight clearly how your qualifications and experiences align with those listed above. Inquiries will be reviewed on a rolling basis and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. mnjrc.org

Job Types: Part-time, Contract

Pay: $40.00 per hour

Expected hours: No more than 10 per week

Schedule:

• Choose your own hours

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Minneapolis, MN 55409

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