Crumbling infrastructure creating a crisis in Minnesota’s prisons, corrections ombudsperson says

Two photographs showing tiers of prison cells, taken 100 years apart, almost identical. Those pictures of the Minnesota Correctional Facility — Stillwater gave a stark portrait of the need to address the Department of Corrections outdated and deteriorating infrastructure.

The pictures of Stillwater were included in a report from the Office of the Ombuds for Corrections which also showed crumbling facades, falling bricks, indoor puddles and rusty manual locks.

Failing physical plants has presented the department with a Herculean task to keep staff, visitors and prisoners safe, according to Margaret Zadra, the Ombudsperson for Corrections.

She presented a report documenting shortcomings in prison facilities to the House Capital Investment Committee on Monday. No action was taken.

[MORE: See the presentation and report]

One of the most pressing issues is summer heat, especially in living quarters on the upper floors. Some prisoners refused to return to their cells last year, citing high temperatures and limited access to showers and ice.

Zadra expressed admiration with the way staff members “MacGyver” solutions to problems but said that’s not a long-term strategy. Considering the cost of continuous — arguably inadequate — maintenance in Stillwater and St. Cloud, she said it could be time to build a new facility with a price tag approaching ­$1 billion.

Because of under-resourcing, deferred maintenance needs total more than $720 million. In his capital investment recommendations, Gov. Tim Walz seeks $81.4 million for asset preservation, of which all but $5 million would be from general obligation bonding.

Failing facilities take a real toll on people, and it’s impossible to pretend what happens in prisons doesn’t impact what happens in other communities, Zadra said. 

This echoed a message from Commissioner Paul Schnell, who noted 95% of incarcerated individuals return to the community.

The well-being of about 8,000 prisoners and 4,000 workers are often hidden behind brick walls and razor wire, he said, but the outcomes of incarceration matter.