Minnesota's highest court is the supreme court, consisting of a chief justice and six associate justices; all are elected without party designation for six-year terms, with vacancies being filled by gubernatorial appointment. The district court, divided into 10 judicial districts with 254 judges in 1999, is the court of original jurisdiction. Each judicial district has at least three district judges, elected to six-year terms. The governor designates a chief judge for a three-year term.
County courts, operating in all counties of the state except two—Hennepin (Minneapolis) and Ramsey (St. Paul), which have municipal courts—assume functions formerly exercised by probate, family, and local courts. They exercise civil jurisdiction in cases where the amount in contention is $5,000 or less, and criminal jurisdiction in preliminary hearings and misdemeanors. They also hear cases involving family disputes, and have concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in divorces, adoptions, and certain other proceedings. The probate division of the county court system presides over guardianship and incompetency proceedings and all cases relating to the disposing of estates. All county judges are elected for six-year terms.
Minnesota's federal and state correctional institutions had a total population of 6,514 in June 2001, an increase of 4.7% over the previous year. The state's incarceration rate stood at 131 per 100,000 population.
Crime rates are generally below the national average. In 2001, Minnesota's total crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 3,583.7, including a total of 13,145 violent crimes and 165,046 crimes against property in that year. Minnesota has no death penalty statute. The Crime Victims Reparations Board offers compensation to innocent victims of crime or to their dependent survivors.