Interpreting the Case Data

On each search and results page, you will find a button to view “Case Data.” Clicking on this button will open another window showing selected detail on the specific cases found by your search.

Here is a guide to interpreting data (that isn’t self-explanatory) in this section:

Case Number
The court system’s ID number for this case

Sex and Race
The sex and race of the offender

MOC 5
This is a code for age of the victim. We believe it is reliable for criminal sexual conduct cases. It is less reliable for sex trafficking cases. It should be disregarded for most child sexual exploitation cases, as explained below.

To translate the MOC 5 code for Criminal Sexual Conduct cases, look up the number in this column and find it in the key below, from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission:

Child Sexual Exploitation
The MOC 5 codes should not be used to determine victim age for “child pornography” crimes (child abuse imagery). The pull-down search menu for these crimes has been disabled on the Community Safety Tool website for all age groups except “All Minors.” In cases of child abuse imagery (child pornography), victims are always minors, and typically offenders possess child abuse imagery of victims of many ages. The MOC 5 codes for these cases do not reflect that fact accurately, referring to “audience” instead of victim. This is one result of Minnesota law treating child sexual exploitation as an obscenity crime, rather than as a crime against persons.

Although the Victim Age menu is disabled for all child sexual exploitation crimes, MOC 5 codes are available in the Case Data for solicitation crimes. These generally refer to the key shown below for sex trafficking.

Sex Trafficking
In sex trafficking cases, the MOC 5 codes are antiquated, referring to “age of prostitute,” a term that should never be applied to prostituted children. We advise caution in relying upon these MOC codes. Here is the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission’s MOC 5 key:

Pronounced Incarceration Type
The type of sentenced imposed, which is one of three options: “state prison,” “conditional jail” (short local jail sentence and probation), or “other sanctions” (no jail or prison).

Presumptive Disposition
Whether the sentencing guidelines recommend prison (“Commit”) or probation (“Stay”).

Stay of Imposition
This is a Yes/No field. “Yes” means that the normal sentence was set aside, or “stayed,” and a stay of imposition was given instead. A stay of imposition is a form of probation. Here is the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission’s definition of a stay of imposition:

A stay of imposition occurs when the court accepts and records a finding or plea of guilty, but does not impose (or pronounce) a prison sentence. If the offender successfully completes the stay, the case is discharged, and the conviction is deemed a misdemeanor under Minn. Stat. § 609.13, but is still included in criminal history under Guidelines section 2.B.

Stay of Execution
This is a Yes/No field. “Yes” means that the normal sentence was set aside, or “stayed,” and a stay of execution was given instead. A stay of execution is a form of probation. Here is the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission’s definition of a stay of execution:

A stay of execution occurs when the court accepts and records a finding or plea of guilty, and a prison sentence is pronounced, but is not executed. If the offender successfully completes the stay, the case is discharged, but the offender continues to have a record of a felony conviction, which is included in criminal history under section 2.B.

Dispositional Departure
Here is the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission’s definition of a dispositional departure:

A dispositional departure occurs when the court orders a disposition (i.e., decision to sentence to prison or probation) other than the disposition recommended in the Guidelines. There are two types: aggravated dispositional departures and mitigated dispositional departures.

An ”aggravated” departure is when the court imposes a penalty more serious than the guidelines recommend. A “mitigated” departure is when the court imposes a lighter penalty than the guidelines recommend.

Durational Departure
Here is the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission’s definition of a durational departure:

A durational departure occurs when the court orders a sentence with a duration other than the presumptive fixed duration or range in the appropriate cell on the applicable Grid. There are two types: aggravated durational departures (more time) and mitigated durational departures (less time).

Departure Reason (1-4)
These columns show up to four reasons given by the court for not following (departing from) the sentencing guidelines.

Plea Reason (1-3)
These columns show up to three reasons given by the court for a plea agreement or prosecutor recommendation.