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On Labor Day weekend, more than 100 inmates at Stillwater prison refused to return to their cells. They did not threaten the guards, but simply continued playing cards and enjoying their recreation time instead of returning to their cells.
The inmates' civil disobedience was motivated by three grievances. First, inmates were subjected to extreme heat as the temperatures reached the 90s and they had no air conditioning. Second, inmates do not have clean water for drinking and showering. While the DOC is currently testing the drinking water at MCF-Stillwater, a 2019 study found the water contained five cancerous contaminants which exceeded federal guidelines. Inmates report the water being brown. Third, inadequate staffing led to unannounced lockdowns and cuts in visitation hours.
The protest at MCF-Stillwater this month reflects long-standing issues in the Minnesota prison system. In March, the DOC reported three corrections officers at MCF-Stillwater were assaulted by inmates. An officer at the Oak Park Heights facility had his nose broken by an inmate that same week. In 2018, corrections officer Joseph Gomm was killed by an inmate in the metal shop at MCF-Stillwater. Put simply, it is a bad time to be an inmate or a corrections officer in Minnesota.
Few would argue the prison system in Minnesota is working. Most importantly, Minnesota prisons are failing at one of their most important functions — rehabilitating prisoners into functioning members of society. Nearly 80% of people released from Minnesota prisons will commit a new offense within five years. This high recidivism rate leads to higher crime rates and millions of extra taxpayer dollars spent on prisons and court costs.
DOC Research Director Grant Duwe estimates that a 1% drop in recidivism for ex-prisoners would save taxpayers $5 million on prisons alone.
It is clear Minnesota's prisons are dangerous for inmates and guards alike, and are failing at rehabilitating prisons. New ideas are needed. However, the solutions proposed have not matched the scale of the problem. The prison system remains underfunded and understaffed. The Legislature has passed modest reforms, such as making phone calls for inmates free, but these reforms are too small to seriously improve Minnesota prisons. Bold ideas are needed to make prisons more humane for inmates, safer for corrections officers and still affordable for taxpayers.
