118 Men at Rush City Prison Launch Canteen Strike, Demand Meeting With DOC Central Office

One hundred and eighteen men incarcerated at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City launched a peaceful canteen strike to draw attention to what they describe as an “environment of toxicity” creating “conditions of confinement that are extreme and violent.” The action follows a June 1 letter sent by the men to prison officials and outside parties, in which they detail what they say is the administration’s deliberate indifference to their physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as ongoing safety and security concerns.

The men and their loved ones are calling on Minnesota Department of Corrections Central Office officials to come directly to Rush City to address the problems before units, as one incarcerated man described it, “go crazy.” They emphasize that “lots of guys of all races want peaceful solutions.”

What the Men Are Asking For

The letter outlines six core areas of concern, each accompanied by specific requests for change.

On communication, the men say grievances and kites go unreturned or returned blank, leaving them with no functional way to raise concerns through the chain of command. They are requesting timely responses within seven working days, per existing policy.

On time out of cells, men report being confined to their cells for 22 to 23 hours a day, with the lack of movement causing documented anxiety and depression. They are requesting at least five hours out of cells daily, along with regular access to the gym and yard.

On recreation, the men say arbitrary restrictions on gym and yard time are constant, and that the only physical space available cannot reasonably meet the needs of 144 men. Gym time is also the only opportunity for haircuts and photographs to send to family. They are requesting constructive recreation access at least five days per week.

On programming, the men say evidence-based rehabilitation programs are nearly nonexistent, limiting their ability to earn sentence reductions and prepare for reentry. They are requesting expanded programming and job opportunities.

On phone access, the men say 14 phones serve 144 men, creating conditions that lead to monopolization, coercion, and violence. They are requesting personal devices for calls and email, noting this model has reduced conflict in other prison systems and county jails across the country.

On health and crisis services, men report waiting 10 to 15 days to see a physician, and say an unspoken rule has emerged: if you are in serious pain, you have to fall on the floor or claim chest pain to receive care. They are also reporting that staff routinely refuse to call the Crisis Intervention Team when requested, even without assessing the mental state of the person asking. They are requesting a full-time physician and dentist, improved medical oversight, and guaranteed access to the CIT.

Voices From Inside and Outside

Nathan McDonald, incarcerated at Rush City, told advocates he has been at the prison for six months and has been to the gym twice. He has never seen the yard. “Nobody should be locked up 22 hours a day, sometimes 24 hours a day,” he said. He added that when he sought help for mental health concerns, staff responded that he was “on a list.”

Another incarcerated man, identified as Mr. Crow, pointed to the lack of jobs at the facility. “Out of 1,000 people, only 100 people have jobs,” he said, arguing that more positions could be created to improve morale, mental health, and the restorative environment of the facility.

Mr. Osgood Jr., also incarcerated at Rush City, described staff who “just refuse to address concerns or prioritize the inmates’ safety.”

On the outside, loved ones of incarcerated men say the situation is taking a toll on their own mental health. “We don’t want conflict, we want to be able to sleep at night knowing our people are safe,” said Ty Sias, whose loved one is held at Rush City.

The Men’s Message

The June 1 letter closes with a direct appeal: “These conditions imposed upon the men have seriously affected their physical, emotional and mental health. The conditions do not promote change, reduce recidivism, or provide a safe environment for staff or the men. The men at Minnesota’s Correctional Facility-Rush City have tried to use the offender representative group, and exhaust all available facility remedies in regards to these concerns. So we are now reaching out to you for help in order to obtain some relief from this manufactured stress.”

Full Letter: The Men of Rush City Correctional Facility, June 1, 2026

To Whom It May Concern,

The current administration at Minnesota’s Correctional Facility-Rush City continuously promotes and advances a culture and environment of toxicity. This has created conditions of confinement that are extreme and violent. The administration is deliberately indifferent in their actions toward handling bona fide physical, emotional, and mental health, on top of safety and security concerns. This creates an atypical and significant hardship for the men at the facility.

Chain of Command

The chain of command that the men must follow to exhaust all available facility remedies does not work. Kites and grievances go unreturned, or returned unanswered or returned blank. This substantially interferes with the men’s ability to meet the ordinary demands of living in the facility when they have issues or questions. The men request open and transparent communication between the administration, staff, and the men, and for all kites and grievances to be timely returned and answered within seven working days.

Time Out of Cells

The lack of time out of the cells has induced harm for the men physically and psychologically. This lack of time has caused the men to experience circumstances of anxiety and depression. These inhumane conditions undermine the Department of Corrections’ goal toward transforming incarcerated men’s lives in a way that provides for a safer Minnesota. The men request the facility to expand the availability of meaningful recreation time through the facility gym and yard, and to develop programming that meets the mental and psychological needs of the incarcerated men.

Recreation

Arbitrary restriction of recreation, gym, and yard is constant and has induced harm for the men psychologically and physically. There is no physical space that meets the workout needs of 144 men inside a Rush City unit. Also, gym is the only time that the men can go to the barber for haircuts, or take current photographs of themselves to send to their family or friends. The men request the facility to expand constructive leisure time and activities, including active sports, gym, yard, and access to the barbershop and photographs, for a minimum of five days per week.

Programs

The programs at the facility are at best diminished. Evidence-based programs are almost nonexistent. Limited access to rehabilitation programs should be an urgent concern if the DOC and Rush City are truly concerned about the successful reentry of the men at the facility. The men request the facility to expand the availability of evidence-based programs at Rush City.

Telephones

There are only 14 phones in units that house 144 men. The insufficient number of phones, on top of the lack of time out of the cells, has diminished any fair access to the phones and empowers exploitation and inequity in regard to phone access. Moreover, the phones are being monopolized by particular groups, resulting in assaults, coercion, and safety and security concerns. Data will show that using technology that allows the men to make phone calls on personal devices from their cells will make the facility safer for the men and staff, and not further hamper phone communication between the men and their families. The men request the facility to provide personal devices for emails and to make calls.

Crisis Intervention Team

When the men are not able to resolve a situation with staff and request the Crisis Intervention Team to talk about these or other situations or conditions, staff commonly refuse to call or radio the watch commander, master control, or designee for activation of a CIT member to de-escalate situations between the men and staff. This refusal is done without any assessment of the current mental status or condition of the men requesting CIT, increasing the potential and risk of aggression and violence toward other men and staff. The men request the facility to ensure preventative steps that do not require the involvement of discipline and provide CIT members when requested.

Health Services

Systemic deficiencies due to staffing a physician for only 20 hours a week makes unnecessary suffering inevitable for the men in the facility. Repeated denial of care with regard to serious and even minor medical needs causes an infliction of pain to the men. The denial of care significantly affects the men physically and psychologically. It commonly takes 10 to 15 days to be diagnosed by a physician and months, if ever, to be provided true care. When the men request a medical ICS or to speak to CIT, they are refused. Due to this, it is an unspoken rule in the facility that if your condition is getting worse and you are at the point that you cannot take the pain anymore, you have to fall out on the floor or say you are having chest pain. The men should not need to do this to receive help. The men request the facility to provide a full-time physician and dentist who provide more than 20 hours of care a week, and that all nurses and medical assistants determining who is prioritized to see a physician or dentist must be supervised by the physician or dentist.

These conditions imposed upon the men have seriously affected their physical, emotional, and mental health. The conditions do not promote change, reduce recidivism, or provide a safe environment for staff or the men. The men at Minnesota’s Correctional Facility-Rush City have tried to use the offender representative group and exhaust all available facility remedies in regard to these concerns. So we are now reaching out to you for help in order to obtain some relief from this manufactured stress.

— The Men of Rush City Correctional Facility