Minnesota Department of Corrections

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Minnesota Department of Corrections (MNDOC) is Minnesota’s state agency that runs the state’s prisons and juvenile facilities. Its headquarters are in St. Paul, and its motto is Transforming Lives For A Safer Minnesota. The department is led by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor; as of January 2019, the Commissioner was Paul Schnell. About 4,200 people work for MNDOC.

A key fact: Minnesota does not use private prisons. The state’s only private prison, Prairie Correctional Facility, was closed in 2010.

History and structure: The department was created in 1959 by merging several agencies. The Commissioner can appoint up to two deputy commissioners. Most staff are not licensed peace officers, with some exceptions in units like the Fugitive Apprehension Unit and certain investigators.

Facilities and programs: MNDOC runs juvenile facilities, including Minnesota Correctional Facility – Red Wing for delinquent boys (opened 1889). Minnesota Correctional Facility – Togo in Itasca County opened in 1955; it now serves adult male inmates in a CIP program, after years as a youth facility known as Thistledew Camp.

MINNCOR is the department’s prison industries program. Created in 1994, MINNCOR is financially self-sustaining and sells goods to public-sector customers and provides labor to private businesses. It operates like a private company and is led by a CEO. The EMPLOY program, started in 2007, helps inmates find jobs after release.

Other notable programs: The Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop began in 2011 and is the largest literary and arts program within the department; by 2020 it had expanded to all adult facilities. The Minnesota Restitution Center opened in 1972 to promote restorative justice by arranging meetings between victims and offenders and requiring restitution after parole; it later evolved into a broader community service effort.

For more information, visit the official site at mn.gov/doc.