S1, E17: Criminal Justice Advocacy with Judge Stephenson

Ujamaa Place: A Black Man’s Sketch

Judge Stephenson Bio: Education: J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, 1985
B.A., St. Mary’s College, 1980 Judge Stephenson was instrumental in establishing the John School Program, a program whose aim is to reduce prostitution-related crime; offenders are required to pay for their participation in the program and the proceeds are used to assist former prostitutes in remaining out of the life of prostitution and to assist them in finding stable housing. Judge Stephenson was involved in establishing St. Paul’s Community Court, a program which more assertively handles cases involving “quality of life” (neighborhood nuisance) offenses with an emphasis on completing community service hours. Judge Stephenson also took the lead in establishing the Community Prosecutor Program under Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner and former St. Paul City Attorney Clayton Robinson. The program’s aim was to focus on the troubled Frogtown/Summit-University neighborhoods in St. Paul and to improve police community relations, to encourage community policing, and to improve communication among the various partners in the criminal justice system. The program has now expanded to service the East Side and West Side of St. Paul.