Prosecution Division
Phil Carruthers, Director
Kathryn Richtman, Assistant Director, Juvenile Crime Unit
Clayton Robinson, Jr., Assistant Director, Charging and Trials
Jill Gerber, Assistant Director, Special Crimes and Investigations
Overview
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office is responsible for prosecuting all adult felonies and all juvenile cases in Ramsey County. Unique among metropolitan area county attorneys' offices, the Ramsey County Attorney has combined all prosecution functions into one division, under one division director. This organization allows greater coordination within the office and with law enforcement agencies outside the office.
This division is organized as follows:
Juvenile Crime
Adult Prosecution
Appeals
Juvenile Crime
The primary duty of the Juvenile Crime Unit is to prosecute juvenile offenders (children aged 10-18) who do not qualify for pre-court diversion. In addition to public safety concerns, the prosecutor must consider the particular needs of the juvenile. The Juvenile Crime Unit handles juvenile cases ranging from petty offenses (e.g., tobacco and alcohol) to murder in the first degree.
As part of the charging process, the prosecutor must also decide whether to file motions to certify a child to stand trial as an adult or designate the child an Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile (EJJ). These decisions are based on the severity of the offense as well as the child's age, prior offense and programming history. Certification cases are retained in the Juvenile Crime Unit through trial and sentencing.
In addition to the delinquency caseload, the Juvenile Crime Unit also handles two types of Children in Need of Protection and Services (CHIPS) cases: truants and runaways.
Truancy Intervention Program (TIP)
The Truancy Intervention Program (TIP) was initiated by Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner in 1995. TIP is an early-intervention program designed to improve the attendance of students 6 to 17 years old. All five Ramsey County school districts have actively participated in the Truancy Intervention Program from its inception.
In 1999, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office expanded TIP to serve children in grades kindergarten through six. Called Family TIP (FTIP), this program places a special emphasis on children whose older siblings have been referred to TIP.
TIP is a three-step process involving progressively intrusive interventions to compel students and their parents to address the truancy/attendance problem in a positive manner. Students with as few as three unexcused absences may be referred to TIP. The student's family is sent a letter informing them of the attendance problem and requiring them to attend a large group meeting where an assistant county attorney discusses the legal, social and individual ramifications of continued poor attendance.
If school attendance does not improve after the initial intervention, the student and parents are required to attend a School Attendance Review Team (SART) hearing. At this hearing a school attendance contract is negotiated with the students and the parents. If attendance fails to improve following the SART hearing, a truancy petition is filed in Ramsey County Juvenile Court and an expedited hearing is scheduled.
Since TIP's inception, more than 35,000 students have been served, with a large percentage of students in the program consistently showing improved attendance.
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Adult Prosecution
The Adult Prosecution Section of the Prosecution Division prosecute all adult felonies in Ramsey County.
Prosecutors screen cases presented by police investigators and determine whether criminal charges are warranted. The attorneys also represent the Office at defendants’ initial court appearances, go to trial in cases ranging from thefts to homicides and handle all appeals and post-convictions hearings.
The Division includes community prosecutors, who work with neighborhoods and law enforcement agencies to address public safety issues.
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Appeals Unit
After defendants are found guilty, they often appeal their convictions. The attorneys in the Appeals Unit handle all appeals and post-conviction hearings in juvenile and criminal cases. This involves reviewing transcripts, researching the law, filing briefs and orally arguing cases before the appellate court judges. The attorneys appear in the Minnesota District Court, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court; and the United States District Court, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court.
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Grand Jury
The Grand Jury is an independent body of the District Court made up of citizens selected at random in the county. Its primary purpose is to hear evidence and determine whether there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. Usually only the most serious crimes, such as homicides, are presented to the Grand Jury. The County Attorney is the legal advisor to the Grand Jury. The duties include deciding which cases should be presented, drafting indictments or charges and answering any questions members of the Grand Jury might have.
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Domestic Abuse Unit
The Joint Domestic Abuse Prosecution Unit, a groundbreaking partnership with the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office, focuses on domestic assaults where children are present. The goal is to break the cycle of violence that sometimes grips families from one generation to the next.
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Elder Abuse Unit
The Elder Abuse Unit prosecutes crimes against older persons who are victimized because of their age, vulnerabilities or family relationships. The Unit focuses on such crimes as physical and sexual abuse, financial exploitation and scams aimed at the elderly.
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