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Minnesota taxpayers entrust our government with billions of dollars each year to make Minnesota a safe and dignified place to live — including for people in prison. It’s hard to believe we might throw away hundreds of millions of dollars trying to salvage 100-year-old prisons in deep disrepair. These facilities are dangerous for the people living and working inside. The only safe and affordable option is to close them once and for all.
In February 2025, the Minnesota Office of the Ombuds for Corrections released an urgent update to its 2024 report on the state of Minnesota correctional facilities. Both reports paint a dire picture for two of the state’s prisons in Stillwater and St. Cloud, which together house around 2,300 individuals: these prisons are crumbling …