Stillwater prison remains locked down as activists raise concerns about water quality

Tuesdays are supposed to be visiting day at the Stillwater state prison in Bayport. But the prison was still on lockdown Tuesday following a protest on Sunday, said Department of Corrections spokesman Andy Skoogman, and family members worried about the heat inside and about prisoners' access to clean drinking water.

Activists and prisoners' families have been working to draw attention to conditions after about 100 inmates staged a peaceful protest Sunday over a holiday weekend staff shortage that left them with little time to shower, call their families and socialize with each other.

About 30 people gathered for a news conference and rally Tuesday outside Eastcliff, the University of Minnesota president's home where Gov. Tim Walz lives temporarily.

Marvina Haynes, whose brother is incarcerated at the Stillwater prison, said she does not think prisoners should be punished because of staffing shortages.

The Stillwater prison has about 50 staff vacancies, Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said Sunday, with a total of about 300 unfilled jobs across the whole Department of Corrections, about a 14% vacancy rate, Schnell said.

Skoogman said the department hopes a new contract with the officers union and recruiting efforts will alleviate staff shortages.

Minnesota's neighbors also struggle with understaffing. Wisconsin's Department of Corrections has a 35% vacancy rate, with some prisons missing more than half the correctional officers and sergeants they need.

Inmates' family members also have raised concerns about heat in the prison, which is largely without air conditioning, and the quality of the water.

The Department of Corrections released water-quality test results Tuesday showing monthly tests had not found E. coli or other bacteria in the water, and annual tests for other contaminants came up clean. Skoogman acknowledged that the water from the faucets in inmates' cells is not tested.

During the news conference, inmate Amani Fardan called from the Stillwater prison. David Boehnke of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee put him on speaker phone. Fardan said staff shortages left prisoners stuck in their cells, able to access water only from those sinks.

"We that are mostly stuck in our rooms have to deal with what's coming out of our faucets," Fardan said. "The water comes out like coffee."