The Minnesota Department of Corrections announced Thursday that state leaders have agreed to a plan to close the Stillwater prison.
The agreement between Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders calls for a “phased closure” of the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, and moving the people incarcerated there to other facilities where there is capacity.
The Department of Corrections in a news release said the goal is “to enhance the DOC’s economic efficiency, to end state investments into the crumbling infrastructure at MCF-Stillwater, and to minimize the ongoing health and safety concerns the facility presents to both staff and the incarcerated population.”
Walz told reporters Thursday that the prison would be closed in phases over four years. He said no one incarcerated there would be released early, due to the facility closing.
DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell is set to share more information with the media on Thursday afternoon.
The Stillwater prison — technically located south of the city, in Bayport — was built in 1914. As of Thursday, the DOC reported that it was housing 1,171 inmates.
The living conditions within the aging prison have raised concerns and drawn protests in recent years. In 2023, the facility went on lockdown after inmates refused to return to their cells, citing concerns over dangerously hot conditions within the prison, as well as poor water quality.
The Stillwater prison is located near — but is separate from — the maximum-security Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
