Search Minnesota Public Records

How Are Inmate Records in Minnesota Created and Stored?

Inmate records are the paperwork and files which follow an inmate through the justice system from arrest to parole. When someone is arrested, the first form to be filled out is a RAP sheet which contains all the personal information for the suspect such as name, address, phone number and then details about their crime. Often this document is accompanied by a mugshot. In Minnesota, the Department of Corrections is the government agency in charge of maintaining and storing all inmate records. The records are updated daily whenever an event takes place in the inmate's life. These records are kept in a centralized database making an inmate search quick and easy.

What Does Minnesota’s Prison System Look Like?

Minnesota prides itself on reduced recidivism and claims that "75% of Minnesota offenders will remain free of a new felony conviction and out of prison for at least three years after release." The state has a variety of facilities and programs aimed at rehabilitation along with public safety. They also have innovative programs and education to help transition inmates back into society after release. The Minnesota prison system includes:

• Various reentry services and an Intensive Supervised Release (ISR) Program

Types of Jails and Prisons in Minnesota

All ten state prisons, the juvenile detention center, and supervision programs are overseen and managed by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. These facilities house both youth offenders and adults. The facilities are divided into four custody levels ranging from low-security to maximum. Each of the county jails is managed and supervised by the local county Sheriff's Office. Jails hold pretrial detainees and inmates sentenced to less than a year in jail. The five federal prison facilities in Minnesota that house federal prisoners are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

How Many People are Locked up in Minnesota?

Minnesota’s prison system holds 10,592 residents in various kinds of correctional facilities, from which 9,302 residents are held in state prisons, 259 in federal prisons, 8 in juvenile correctional facilities, and 1,023 in local jails.

Minnesota State Prisons

The Minnesota state prison system is split into four distinct custody levels for different types of inmates. Some require additional supervision and other supports, while others are low-maintenance and low-risk. The prison facilities in Minnesota include:

• Faribault - minimum and medium-security units
• Lino Lakes - minimum and medium-security units
• Oak Park Heights - maximum security
• Red Wing - minimum security (holds adults and youths)
• Rush City - close security
• Shakopee - women-only housing all four levels of custody
• St. Cloud - close security
• Stillwater - minimum and close security units
• Togo - minimum security
• Willow River / Moose Lake - minimum and medium-security units

Minnesota Federal Prisons

The state of Minnesota also has five federal prison facilities which house and rehabilitate inmates who have violated federal laws. All of these institutions are overseen and managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FOB). The list of federal prison facilities in Minnesota include:

• Duluth FPC - minimum-security federal prison camp with 535 inmates
• Minneapolis RRM - residential reentry office
• Rochester FMC - An administrative security federal medical center housing 699 male offenders
• Sandstone FCI - low-security facility housing 1,141 male inmates
• Waseca FCI - low-security facility housing 657 female offenders

Minnesota County Jails

Minnesota has eighty-seven counties throughout the state. Each county has its own Sheriff's Office with a jail to temporarily house suspects awaiting trial or an initial hearing. Sometimes a judge will sentence a first-time offender to a short stay in jail rather than prison. These facilities hold those inmates also. There is no centralized list of facilities, but many of the local Sheriff's Offices do have their own websites.

Minnesota Juvenile Detention Centers

The state of Minnesota has one juvenile detention facility called the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Red Wing. They reference its purpose as providing: "treatment, education, and transition services for male juvenile offenders either as a condition of court-ordered probation or as the result of having been committed to the commissioner of corrections." Part of the mission of this facility is to repair the relationship between the offenders and the community. They do this through volunteer work, education, and rehabilitation.

Minnesota Release and Supervision Centers

Although Minnesota does not have facilities to house transitioning inmates who will be released soon, they do have a unique Intensive Supervised Release (ISR) Program which includes electronic monitoring, weekly visits, mandatory work or school schedules, curfews, mandatory restitution, and random drug testing. This program is for high-risk individuals who require additional supervision upon release. For less severe cases, the state also offers reentry programs to help released inmates find work, housing, and re-integrate back into society successfully.

Why are People Incarcerated in Minnesota?

There are roughly 21,000 people in prison in Minnesota. About half of them (11,000) are in state prison. Another 5,900 are in county jails, 2,200 are in federal prisons, 850 are in juvenile detention, 850 are in mental institutions getting treatment, and another 40 reside in Indian county facilities. The top reason people are incarcerated in Minnesota is crimes against other people. The second most popular reason is drugs, then sex crimes and homicide. The fewest number of people are in prison for robbery and weapons charges.

Minnesota’s Incarceration Rate and Statistics

Minnesota’s incarceration rate for year-end 2016 under state prison or local jail jurisdiction per 100,000 population was 191, which is lower than an average incarceration rate by 58%. The number of Minnesota prisoners at the year-end of 2016 was 10,592, from which 7% were female prisoners, whereas the number of male prisoners was 9,818 in 2016.

Where Do Minnesota Inmates Go When They are Released?

When inmates are released from a Minnesota jail or prison, they will return home to family or friends. Minnesota does not have any transitional facilities to house inmates while they get their feet wet, integrating back into society. However, they do have reentry program services and an intensive supervision program for those inmates who require additional support and help to get on their feet and successfully make lives for themselves outside of prison.

How Does Parole Work in Minnesota?

Some inmates with good behavior may be granted parole. This benefit is offered to inmates who have served about three-quarters of their original sentence. The parole board makes the decision of whether or not they feel the inmate will be a danger to society. If not, they may be released early with supervision. If they violate the terms of their parole, they will be arrested and returned to prison to serve out the remainder of their sentence.

Parole Population

How Does Someone Get Probation in Minnesota?

As an alternative to prison, a Minnesota judge has the option of ordering probation instead. They do so for low-risk and first-time offenders. This means that the offender may go back to living life but with strict rules and goals. They must meet regularly with a probation officer and achieve other results. If they fail to comply with even one of the court-ordered rules, they will go to prison.

Probation Statistics