Francis Shen Interview Summary
In this wide-ranging interview, Francis Shen introduces himself as a nontraditional candidate for Hennepin County Attorney, grounded less in courtroom litigation and more in systems thinking, neuroscience, and innovation. Raised in a Catholic family with roots in both Chinese and Irish heritage, Shen traces his path from Jesuit education to the University of Chicago and Harvard, where he completed both a JD and a PhD. His career ultimately led him to the University of Minnesota, where he now runs the NeuroLaw Lab and works at the intersection of law, brain science, and ethics. That background, he argues, uniquely positions him to rethink how the justice system understands human behavior—and why people commit harm in the first place.
Shen frames his campaign around a central critique: the current justice system isn’t merely underperforming, it’s obsolete. He points to low clearance rates for violent and property crimes in Minneapolis as evidence of what he calls growing “lawlessness,” arguing that the justice equation breaks down if crimes are not reliably solved. To address this, he emphasizes rebuilding trust between prosecutors, police, and communities, while also utilizing technology strategically, particularly artificial intelligence, to enhance investigations and allocate resources more effectively. Rather than viewing AI as futuristic or optional, Shen presents it as unavoidable, insisting that the real question is whether it will be used ethically, transparently, and competently.
The final portion of the interview centers on Shen’s three core priorities: focused deterrence to reduce serious violence, responsible integration of AI across the justice system, and a more individualized, neuroscience-informed approach to prosecution and sentencing. He argues that understanding why someone committed a crime, whether driven by addiction, immaturity, desperation, or repeated disregard for community norms, should shape how the system responds. This philosophy extends to youth justice, where Shen supports developmentally appropriate interventions but resists one-size-fits-all leniency. Throughout, he returns to a consistent theme: being “smart and precise” on crime, centering victims and community trust, and redesigning the system to prevent harm from happening again, rather than simply reacting after the fact.
You can find more information about Francis Shen at: shenforsafety.org.
