Center for Applied Research

Projects and Reports

Past Research

During its first three years, the Center completed five projects for the Legislature:

An Evaluation of Minnesota's Shelter Program for Battered Woman (March 2001) (PDF)

The cost of Minnesota's shelter program increased rapidly in the late 1990s. This report gives a broad overview of the shelter program and explains the increase in costs. The report also develops a method for determining the need for shelter beds based on population, and it reviews the effectiveness of shelters and the criminal justice system as deterrents to domestic violence.

Violent Crime Among Minnesota's Asian Americans (February 2000) (PDF)

Over the past decade violent crime has been increasing in Minnesota's Asian-American communities. This report describes the increase in violent crime and Examines reasons behind it. The report also discusses the work the Asian-American community has done to address the crime problem and their recommendations.

Biometrics in Law Enforcement and Crime Prevention (April 1999) (PDF)

The purpose of biometrics is to distinguish one person from another based on each person's physical characteristics, such as their fingerprints, face, voice, eyes, or hands. Advances in computer technology make it possible to use biometrics in many law enforcement and crime prevention activities, including identification of fingerprints from crime scenes, prison security, border control, driver's licenses, ATM cards, and state welfare systems. The report explains how these systems work and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. The report also Examines privacy issues related to biometric systems.

Review of Criminal Justice Projects and Programs (October 1999) (PDF)

This report summarizes legislative funding for criminal justice projects from 1989 to 1998 for projects that were outside the normal operations of state departments. The report reviews the likely effectiveness of these programs based on local and national evaluations of criminal justice programs.

Mentally Ill Criminals and the Insanity Defense (October 1999) (PDF)

This report describes how the criminal justice system deals with people who have a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia. In Minnesota, it is very rare for a person who has committed a crime to be found "not guilty by reason on insanity."

Mentally ill criminals are routinely sentenced to terms in jails and prisons. In 1997, for Example, about 13 percent of Minnesota's prison inmates were mentally ill. The report also reviews the relationship between mental illness and violence, and the effectiveness of the "not guilty by reason OF insanity" plea in states that have adopted that alternative.

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