The Minnesota Correction Facility – Stillwater (MCF-STW) is a close custody (level 4) state

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

for men in

Bayport, Minnesota Bayport is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,024 at the 2020 census. Bayport is located along the St. Croix River, one mile south of Stillwater. History The City of Bayport began as three small se ...

, United States. Built 1910–1914, it houses 1,600 inmates in seven different living areas. Additionally, approximately 100 inmates are housed in a nearby minimum security area. It replaced the original

Minnesota Territorial Prison The Minnesota Territorial Prison, later the Minnesota State Prison, was a prison in Stillwater, Minnesota, United States, in operation from 1853 to 1914. Construction of the prison began in 1851, shortly after Minnesota became a territory. The p ...

located just to the north in the city of

Stillwater, Minnesota Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County, Minnesota, Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), S ...

. Until recent expansion of the medium custody (level 3)

Minnesota Correctional Facility – Faribault The Minnesota Correctional Facility – Faribault is a state prison located in Faribault, Minnesota. As of March 2023, it had an adult inmate population of about 2,000 men, making it the largest prison in Minnesota by population. The ...

, MCF-STW was the state's largest facility by inmate population. A

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

consisting of 22

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986 as the State Prison Historic District for having state-level significance in architecture. It was nominated for being one of the nation's earliest and most influential appearances of the "telephone pole" layout, with a large main hallway connecting each of the units, that was widely adopted by high-security prisons. MCF-STW is noted for its award-winning publication ''The Prison Mirror'', the oldest continuously-operated prison newspaper in the United States.

History

The idea for the creation of the original Minnesota State Prison at Stillwater came in February 1851 as part of legislation dealing with territories. However, the prison did not start receiving inmates until two years later in March 1853, which was still five years before Minnesota was inducted into statehood. At the beginning of the 20th century the prison started to become severely overcrowded, leading to the passing of legislation providing allowances to build a new prison south of the original location. The new prison, created in 1912, was placed on of land and included two factory buildings, two warehouses, a hospital, a chapel, a greenhouse, a dining hall, and five cell buildings to accommodate the large number of prisoners. The prison was run by the warden and the Board of Inspectors, which had three members who created the prison rules and were in charge of determining and implementing punishments within the prison. In 1901 the Board of Inspectors was replaced by the State Board of Control, which had monthly meetings at the prison and mostly involved reviewing and discussing parole requests. This lasted until 1959. During 1959 the State Board of Control relinquished its authority to the

Minnesota Department of Corrections The Minnesota Department of Corrections is a state law enforcement agency of Minnesota that operates prisons. Its headquarters is in St. Paul. As of 2010, the state of Minnesota does not contract with private prisons. The first and only priva ...

, which had recently been established. In 2008 four inmates attempted to tunnel their way out. David Spaeth, Craig Friend, Andrew Salinas and Gonzalo Hernandez used pilfered tools, including an electric hammer drill, to tunnel approximately 25 feet. Their plan was thwarted when a corrections officer followed a power cord. Prison officials described the escape attempt as "sophisticated and complex". On July 18, 2018, Edward Muhammad Johnson, an inmate serving a 29-year sentence for second degree murder, struck correctional officer Joseph Gomm multiple times in the head with a hammer, killing him. Gomm, 45, had been a corrections officer at the facility for 16 years. It was the state's first known incident of a prison guard killed in the line of duty by an inmate. Johnson was charged and convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was initially moved to Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights but was subsequently transferred into the custody of the

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

. , Johnson is serving his sentence at

ADX Florence United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility (abbreviated as USP Florence ADMAX; commonly known as ADX Florence, Florence Supermax, and the Alcatraz of the Rockies) is a United States federal prison in Fremont County, Colorado, op ...

. On September 3, 2023, approximately 100 inmates at the prison “took over” a living unit at approximately 8am. The takeover was described as a peaceful protest that went on for several hours in which inmates were expressing their disapproval for the series of lockdowns that occurred due to "understaffing" along with “unsafe living conditions” at the prison. Between 2-3pm, the situation was peacefully resolved and 2 inmates were detained for disciplinary action.

Programs

One of three Level 4 (Close) custody facilities in Minnesota, the prison hosts an industrial program, education programs, and the Atlantis

chemical dependency Substance dependence, also known as drug dependence, is a biopsychological situation whereby an individual's functionality is dependent on the necessitated re-consumption of a psychoactive substance because of an adaptive state that has develope ...

treatment program. A small number of inmates are selected for the facility's fine arts painting program. The offenders housed in the

minimum security A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various crim ...

area are responsible for the maintenance of the grounds surrounding the prison, and for cleaning office areas within the non-secured areas inside the main prison facility. MCF-STW has undergone a number of modernization efforts, including the demolition of an antiquated medical building and construction of a modern segregation unit capable of housing up to 150 inmates in 2008.

''The Prison Mirror''

Notable one-time Stillwater prisoners include Frank Elli author of ''The Riot''; Edgar-winning crime novelist E. Richard Johnson, author of ''Silver Street'' and '' Mongo's Back in Town''; and Harley M. Sorensen, former columnist for SFGate.com. Elli wrote ''The Riot'' and other books in Stillwater prison and was a member of the Ink Weavers writing group there. Sorensen was editor of ''The Prison Mirror'', the inmate publication still produced by the men at Stillwater. Sorensen's posthumous first book, ''Prison is a Place'', documents life in Stillwater Prison in the early 1970s through the author's exchange of letters with a St. Paul religious studies class. ''The Prison Mirror'' celebrated its 125th anniversary in August 2012. It was founded in 1887 with the warden's permission using funds from prisoners including the Younger Brothers, members of the

James–Younger Gang The James–Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that revolved around Jesse James and his brother Frank James. The gang was based in the state of Missouri, the home of most of the members. Membership fluctuated from ...

and is believed to be the oldest continuously published prison newspaper in the United States. It has been named the best prison newspaper in the United States several times, winning the Charles C. Clayton award in 1969 and 1987 from the University of Illinois – Carbondale, and a similar award from Amicus in 1985. Topically the newspaper has a tight focus on life in the prison, covering sports such as broom hockey, basketball and dodgeball, educational pursuits and achievements of the prisoners, notable visitors and available support programs, and other matters. A regular column called "Ask the Warden" presents questions and requests to the warden. Comings and goings of staff members are often noted. Most issues feature poetry and artwork produced by the prisoners. In-depth features included an interview with several 'lifers' including

Harvey Carignan Harvey Louis Carignan (May 18, 1927 – March 6, 2023) was an American serial killer who was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of two women in the early 1970s. He had been previously convicted of a 1949 rape and murder he committed whi ...

, an examination of Minnesota's prison commissary prices and the supplier MINNCOR, and a cover story about the aging population of America's prisons.

Appearances in media

The prison is mentioned in the 1939

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

film ''

Each Dawn I Die ''Each Dawn I Die'' is a 1939 gangster film directed by William Keighley and starring James Cagney and George Raft. The plot involves an investigative reporter who is unjustly thrown in jail and befriends a famous gangster. The film was based on ...

''. It is also mentioned in the 1996

Coen Brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...

black comedy thriller movie '' Fargo.'' The 1956 book ''Nineteen Years Not Guilty: The Leonard Hankins' Story in His Own Words, as Told to Earl Guy'' describes an innocent man's experiences inside Stillwater Prison. Stillwater is mentioned frequently in the "Prey" series of novels authored by John Sandford.

References

External links