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The Minnesota Department of Corrections has reduced the Stillwater prison population by 60% as it prepares to close the facility. In January, more than 1,200 inmates were at the 111-year-old prison. Since then, the department has moved nearly 750 people, mostly to the Rush City and Lino Lakes prisons. The transfers mark the start of a sweeping, yearslong realignment of Minnesota’s prison system — an effort launched after a 2025 budget deal between Gov. Tim Walz and the Legislature that set the Stillwater closure in motion. The plan is expected to save about $40 million while tackling the state’s deteriorating prison infrastructure, staffing shortages and overcrowding. “Managing these transfers is like working on a sliding puzzle — finding the right spot for each individual that meets their needs but also accounts for security and compatibility issues,” Paul Schnell, commissioner of the Department of Corrections (DOC), told the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee last month. The state plans to close Stillwater by June 30, 2029. Phase one of the closure, which began on Oct. 1 and will go through fiscal year 2026, focused on aligning staffing and population levels with legislative budget targets. The DOC expects to save $20 million this year and $48 million by 2029. As part of the plan, 149 of Stillwater’s employees also transferred to other facilities, most to the nearby Oak Park Heights and Lino Lakes prisons.
