State corrections officials are reviewing candidates for early release to help thin the prison population amid growing fears of a full-scale coronavirus outbreak inside its facilities.
Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said he will consider inmates who are serving sentences for nonviolent crimes and are within 90 days of their original discharge date for placement in expanded work, education and vocational training release programs.
"There are some who may say we should just lock them in their cells, feed them sandwiches and hope for the best," Schnell said Friday during his first appearance on Gov. Tim Walz's daily press call. "But the U.S. Constitution, Minnesota law, human rights standards and the teachings of most organized religions call for the humane treatment of those within our prisons."
In less than a week, the respiratory disease has infiltrated two facilities, sickening at least four staff members. Seven inmates at Moose Lake prison have now tested positive for COVID-19 and another 13 are presumed positive based on reported symptoms. Among employees at Moose Lake, one is isolated with a confirmed case, Schnell said, and another is presumed to be based on symptoms.
Two confirmed cases have also emerged in correctional officers at Red Wing juvenile facility 2 1/2 hours south. Tests are pending at prisons in Stillwater and Lino Lakes.
Those two dozen cases marked the first sign of the virus behind bars — sending administrators scrambling to contain it. Since Monday, the Department of Corrections (DOC) has staggered meal times to prevent shoulder-to-shoulder contact among inmates, limited programming and restricted movement between cell blocks while prepping quarantine space.
And the prison vocational program, MINNCOR Industries, began manufacturing cloth masks to outfit roughly 14,000 inmates and staff to wear at all times.
But as local jails move to release dozens of nonviolent inmates — especially those held before trial — pressure is mounting for Schnell to follow suit and authorize the supervised release of older, medically vulnerable and high-risk prisoners. Criminal justice advocates, who see this as a potential life-or-death issue for individuals with chronic health issues trapped inside cramped facilities, even demonstrated outside Walz's residence in St. Paul last weekend.
