The Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act is under scrutiny

The program, passed in 2023 and administered by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, is an incentive program for prison inmates designed to allow eligible individuals to shorten their sentences.

David Boehnke, organizer and author for the Minnesota Reformer, says the DOC has broken promises.

"At the current pace, it would take the DOC 100 years to consider for review those currently eligible," says Boehnke. "And new DOC data shows that as of October of 2026, only 22 people have been released this year, and Black people are 300% underrepresented in those releases."

Boehnke said more than 3,000 people who are eligible for consideration are currently being excluded.

Evangelist Patricia James with NAACP says the DOC is reneging on their promises.

"The DOC's own reporting reveals a devastating truth," says James. "Out of thousands of incarcerated individuals has resulted in zero Black or Hispanic incarcerated individuals being considered eligible for early release in 2025."

James says this year, Black Minnesotans are 300% less likely to be released early.