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Minnesota

State Overview - State Summary - State Projects
Available Reports - Sample Data Collection Forms - Available Data - Links

State Overview

Domestic Violence Legislation:Yes (518B.01)
NIBRS Status:Developing
Law Enforcement DV System:No
Service Provider DV System:Summary
Service Provider SA System:Summary


State Summary

Minnesota does have legislation defining domestic violence that does include same-sex romantic relationships. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension does not collect incident-based law enforcement data and does not have a separate data collection program for domestic violence or sexual assault incidents.

The Minnesota Office of Justice Programs' Crime Victim Services unit collects domestic violence and sexual assault information from pdf document 111 service providers receiving grants from the Office. The Office funds six domestic or sexual violence program areas, each with its own reporting form: Domestic Violence Community Advocacy, Domestic Violence Criminal Justice Intervention, Domestic Violence Shelter, Domestic Violence Hotel/Motel & Safe Home Program, General Crime Victim Advocacy, and Sexual Assault Programs. Information is collected on the number of people receiving services and the demographics of victims seen by each program. The General Crime Victim Advocacy and Sexual Assault Program forms also include questions on stalking. The Minnesota Office of Justice Programs' Statistical Analysis Center uses the information in various reports and fact sheets.

The Minnesota Department of Health's Injury and Violence Prevention unit collects domestic and sexual violence data from hospitals via the Minnesota Injury Data Access System (MIDAS). Roughly 90% of all hospitals in the state participate in the program and the information can be queried online. Once the IVP selects domestic and sexual violence incidents from MIDAS, staff complete Report of Injury Forms and Intimate Partner Violence Injury and Sexual Violence Data Collection Forms and confirm the information from medical records. These data are then used to prepare data briefs.

The Minnesota Program Development's Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth compiles information from law enforcement and court case files into the Domestic Abuse Information Network (DAIN). Several criminal justice agencies can access DAIN, including South St. Louis County law enforcement officers and the Safe Haven shelter. Minnesota Program Development is also a member of the Battered Women's Justice Project (BWJP). Along with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, the BWJP maintains libraries of recouses and provides training and technical assistance across the country. The Minnesota Program Development also maintains a Visitation Center Database, which tracks families that utilize the Visitation Center's services. The database collects information on individuals, referrals, the type of victimization, and court information. Information is not available to the public but will be shared with researchers upon request.

The Minnesota State Court Administration Office maintains a separate database for orders of protection. Access to the database without a court order is limited to law enforcement agencies, some court personnel, and some government agencies. Summary statistics on orders for protection as well as on assault court cases can be obtained from the Office.


State Projects

  • Crime Victimization Survey

    • The Minnesota Statistical Analysis Center is working with the University of Minnesot'as Center for Survey Research to ask a statweide sample of 800 Minnesotans about their crime victimization and perceptions of crime in their communities. This information will be analyzed by a variety of demographics, including geographic location, gender, and age.

  • Human Trafficking Task Force

    • The 22-member task force are developing a public awareness campaign around the issue of human trafficking, creating a statewide training paln and exploring the ucrrent services available for victims of human trafficking. The task force will focus on boht sexual trafficking of women and children and labor exploitation.

  • Interagency Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention

    • The Minnesota Legislature created the Interagency Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention (IATF) during the 2000 legislative session and charged the task force with developing a statewide strategic plan to address and formulate:
    • Recommendations on how to reduce incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault
    • Recommendations on how to coordinate existing resources at the federal, state and local levels to reduce incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault, including specific proposals on how these entities may better cooperate
    • Recommendations for changes in policies and laws to reduce incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault
    • Recommendations on the need for increased services and resources to reduce incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault
    • Other items deemed appropriate by the task force.
    Each year, the Task Force presents these recommendations in a report to the legislature.

  • Minnesota Department of Health's Injury and Violence Prevention Upcoming Projects

    • The Injury and Violence Prevention unit has several projects planned:
    • Examining criminal justice data from orders-for-protection files with the Supreme Court
    • Using multiple mortality data sources to examine intimate partner homicide
    • Identifying homicide mortality in the state using newspaper clippings

  • A Comprehensive Needs Assessment of Rural Violence

    • With the support of the Bush Foundation in St. Paul, MN and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety - Office of Justice Programs, the Center for Reducing Rural Violence (CRRV) has engaged the services of Rainbow Research to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of rural violence in Minnesota in two phases:
    • Examine proven violence indicators in rural Minnesota as well as trends in violence covering the period 1995 to 2005 across urban, suburban, and rural areas, including rural tribal communities
    • Convene local and regional stakeholders across the state to discuss the impacts of violence in rural communities, current violence prevention and intervention practices, and barriers and public policy needs in addressing, resisting, and preventing violence.
    The needs assessment will also provide a unique set of data, never before collected in Minnesota including information about challenges of violence facing rural communities the barriers and successes they have met in dealing with these, met and unmet needs and gaps in service. Information will be collected in key informant interviews and focus groups with local law enforcement and criminal justice experts, public officials and community residents.


Available Reports

General Crime Statistics

Domestic Violence

Sexual Assault

Violence Against Women


Sample Data Collection Forms

These are the forms used by the Minnesota Office of Justice Programs' Crime Victim Services Unit:

These are the forms and instructions used by the Minnesota Department of Health's Injury and Violence Prevention:

Screenshots of the systems developed by the Minnesota Development Project are available online; follow the links for the system:


Available Data

Domestic Violence


Links to Agencies and Resources