35 acres. Prison in the St. Croix River town of Bayport just downriver from Stillwater. Houses 1,200 medium security inmates.
Among prisoners issues: Heat stifling heat, no venting
STILLWATER, Minn. State prisons Commissioner Paul Schnell said an inmate protest at the Stillwater prison was peaceful. The 200 or so prisoners from one cellblock spent most of the day in their commons area playing cards and chatting. Schnell denied a report that inmates had been denied clean water. The situation ended at about 3 p.m., when only two inmates were left refusing to go back to their cells. Those two inmates were taken to a segregated unit and will go through a disciplinary process, Schnell said. The unrest was a protest to a change the usual cell release periods during Labor Day weekend. These are periods when inmates have access to phones, recreation and showers. Schnell blamed the cuts on scheduled outside-the-call inmate activities on “staffing challenges.” The prison is running 17% short of its rostered staff.
Schnell. State corrections commissioner since 2019. Former St. Paul police executive and earlier police chief in Maplewood and Hastings.
Prison conditions
The 120-year-old prison is not climate controlled. Windows, said state prisons Commissioner Paul Schnell. “have many challenges.” Yes, he said, ventilation is a problem. Schnell said that the state Corrections Department has been studying possible updates but that they all require approval from the state Legislature. About staff shortages that led to reduced recreational hours over the holiday weekend – about 50 positions are vacant — Schnell said he is actively working to recruit more officers. The “outside” hours were cut from several a day on weekends to one. Contract negotiations now under way with the prison staff’s union likely will lead improve compensation, he said.