Ramsey County is changing how it responds to young people who commit crimes — and early results show their new approach is working.

In the past, young offenders were charged much like adults. They were sent to court and often placed on probation or assigned community service.

The new approach, sometimes called restorative justice, goes deeper. It pulls in members of the community, considers why the crime happened and helps young people understand the harm they caused while also holding them accountable.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks about why more communities across Minnesota are using restorative justice and about a new a study in Ramsey County that shows it dramatically reduces repeat offenses.