From Cook County MN - March 30, 2021

The Cook County Equity in Justice Initiative (“EJI”) will launch an online survey Wednesday with the goal of collecting perceptions of criminal justice in the county. 

The survey elicits anonymous responses in an effort to collect the most honest and comprehensive feedback from the maximum number of participants who have interacted with criminal justice in Cook County. Any person with experience in Cook County’s system is asked to respond. This includes not just defendants, crime victims, and jurors, but also people who interact with the system as part of their jobs.

Respondents are asked both to share their opinions and to share the survey with friends and neighbors who have experience with the justice system in Cook County. Responding to the survey will take most people less than 15 minutes. The survey closes to responses on April 13. 

Equity in Justice Initiative is a collaboration between the Cook County attorney and Cook County sheriff. 

“EJI aims to discover, acknowledge and build awareness about what inequities exist in our justice system, and create equity in Cook County for all,” Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said.

To complete the survey:

• Go to co.cook.mn.us and click the link to submit online.
• For a version of the survey you can print on your own, visit co.cook.mn.us. 
• Pick up printed surveys at one of four locations (Clearview General Store, Trail Center, Grand Portage Trading Post, and the Cook County Courthouse).
• Submit completed paper surveys using a secure drop box at one of the above-listed locations or by mailing to Cook County at 411 W. Second Street, Grand Marais, MN  55604. 

“This survey is an important first step toward identifying problems that exist in our county’s criminal justice system,” Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken said. “Then we can begin to talk about solutions.”

EJI will prepare a summary report to share findings from the survey. The data collected from the survey, and from future listening sessions currently in the planning stages, will help guide EJI’s future activities. 

About EJI: Equity in Justice Initiative is an advisory group created in 2020 with a vision to create solutions through community awareness, dialogue, educational opportunities, and recommendations for change. EJI is made up of a combination of criminal justice professionals, advocates for victims of domestic and sexual violence, and representatives from the Grand Portage Anishinaabe.