One hundred and eighteen men incarcerated at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City have launched a peaceful canteen strike and are calling on Department of Corrections officials to come to the prison directly to address what they describe as extreme and violent conditions of confinement.
prison reform
Posted inPerspectives From Within
What are the ripple effects of harsh conditions at Rush City prison
Rush City prison inmate Keith Hapana Crow writes about deteriorating conditions following the closure of Stillwater prison, including restricted recreation, mental health neglect and practices he argues violate restorative justice principles.
Posted inLocal & State
Bill targets cash bail’s racial disparity
Minnesota cash bail reform legislation would eliminate wealth-based detention in favor of an intentional release and detain approach as advocates say Black Minnesotans make up 36 percent of the pretrial jail population.
Posted inLocal & State
Rising costs hit inmates, families priced out of phone calls at county jails
Rising Minnesota jail phone call costs are forcing families to limit communication with incarcerated loved ones, raising concerns about mental health, fairness, and rehabilitation.
Posted inOpinion
What needs fixing in Minnesota’s prison system
Minnesota Department of Corrections problems at Rush City Correctional Facility raise serious concerns about staff misconduct, prison wages, communication access and humane treatment inside Minnesota prisons.
Posted inNational
Supreme Court weighs damages for inmate’s forced haircut
WASHINGTON (HUNS) — Damon Landor, a Rastafarian who had taken a Nazarite vow to grow his hair in locks, was transferred to Raymond Laborde Correctional Center for the final three weeks of his sentence. He arrived with proof of religious accommodation from two previous facilities, along with a court ruling showing that Louisiana recognized his […]
Posted inOpinion
Stillwater prison’s ‘honors unit’ looks promising only on paper
The Minnesota DOC’s new “Honor Unit” at Stillwater offers perks, but incarcerated voices say it ignores unsafe conditions, relies on inequitable scoring, and props up a failing prison.
Posted inOpinion
Prison must be a place of last resort
Zhi Kai H. Vanderford, incarcerated for nearly 40 years, says prison is no longer about rehabilitation — it’s a failed system that devastates families and communities.
Posted inOpinion
State-run prison labor monopoly lacks accountability
An MCF-Rush City inmate exposes how state-run MINNCOR Industries profits off inflated prices, canceled fundraisers, and unpaid labor—leaving incarcerated Minnesotans struggling to afford basic needs.
Posted inOpinion
When a piece of paper becomes a barrier to freedom
For over a year, Minnesota inmates have been unable to buy typing paper — essential for legal filings, education, and religious coursework. Andrew Krosch exposes how a simple failure to bag paper reflects a much larger systemic problem.
Posted inOpinion
If a rich white man says prisons are racist, it must be true
Todd Chrisley is calling out racism in federal prisons, exposing the unequal treatment of Black inmates and adding visibility to long-standing prison reform efforts.
Posted inNews
Are MN prisons receptive to inmate complaints?
Activists and advocates question the Department of Corrections’ internal grievance process, which they say is ineffective and punishes those incarcerated for speaking up.
Posted inNews
DOC exhibits artwork made by those incarcerated
Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater has an art program that allows incarcerated individuals to create and exhibit artwork.
Posted inNews
Death and redemption in an American prison
A prison inmate who was convicted of second-degree murder, volunteered to start the nation’s first prison hospice program at Angola, Louisiana.
Posted inOpinion
Is the Dept. of Corrections knowingly inflicting pain upon prisoners?
Minnesota prisoners denied medication: Cruel and unusual punishment?
Posted inOpinion
Rush City prison in shambles
We should all want people coming out of prisons to be better off, not worse off than when they went in.
Posted inOpinion
Families demand reduced timeline to implement new prison “good time” law
The Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act (MRRA) allows people to earn early release and supervision reductions by using their time well, increasing public safety and saving taxpayers money. Planned for the last three years and passed in May, the law went into effect this August 1. Yet there is ongoing controversy over its implementation, with […]
Posted inOpinion
Will Minnesota repair broken justice for lifers?
Unless Minnesotans are prepared to accept a system of “justice for some,” the “lifer” review process must be reformed.
Posted inOpinion
Prison medical care is not humane, especially for African Americans
I have been in TCU for almost two months now and noticed that they try to move African Americans out quickly no matter their medical condition.
Posted inOpinion
Medical care for MN prisoners is horrible
When a prisoner has medical or mental issues or disabilities the systematic neglect quickly becomes abusive.