Statistics published in March 2020 tell us America’s prison population sat at around 2.3 million just before the pandemic. COVID-19 presented significant challenges in terms of prisons, particularly with regard to offenders who were charged and processed after it began, as well as those inmates with underlying health conditions. 

Other pandemic-related issues include the testing of inmates with possible cases, the rollout of vaccinations, and the rules around visits. Minnesota’s Department of Corrections has issued guidance and statistics on all of these.

In this post, we’ve taken a closer look at the management of COVID-19 in Minnesota prisons.

New Detainees

The Department of Corrections has continued to incarerate offenders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, new entrants to the system must remain in quarantine for 14 days before they can mix with the other inmates in an institution. Detainees must also undergo three tests while in quarantine, on the first, seventh, and twelfth days.

Conditional Medical Release

The Minnesota DOC used the conditional medical release process as part of its virus management protocol. This was run on the basis of inmate applications early in the pandemic, but has now returned to the usual system, which involves Health Services staff identifying suitable candidates. Those prisoners who are at risk of “grave harm” from the virus will be given special consideration for release. 

Despite the increased risk associated with crowding, and the push from many advocacy groups to reduce prison populations in response to the pandemic, most of last year’s applications for medical release were denied. 

However, Minnesota’s state prison population did drop by about 17% between March and December last year. This trend is partly due to the expansion of the work release program, as well as fewer imprisonments for parole violations.

Visitation

Visitation varies from prison to prison, depending on case rates in a given facility at a given time. If a jail has two or more active cases, it cannot accept visitors. Visits must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance, either online or over the phone. 

Social distancing is enforced for all visitors, which means physical contact is not allowed during visits. To accommodate as many visitors as possible while adhering to social distancing requirements, the DOC has imposed a maximum length of one hour for all prison visits.

Visitors must agree to a temperature check upon arrival. Anyone with a temperature higher than 100.0 degrees will be refused entry to the visiting area. 

As well as in-person visits, the DOC also allows for video visitation. These visits last 15 minutes, with users entitled to one free session per week. Users can also pay for further sessions thereafter. Video visits are not available to every inmate; the privilege is granted on the basis of disciplinary status, and may also be restricted in line with visiting protocols in a given facility. 

Other Restrictions

Many of the rights and privileges Minnesota prisoners normally enjoy are not currently possible due to the pandemic. These include:

• Barbering services
• Religious services
• Contact sports

However, the DOC has rolled out some COVID-friendly initiatives in a bid to boost morale despite the pandemic restrictions. These include virtual or socially-distanced educational and therapeutic sessions.

Rates of Cases & Deaths

Regrettably, there have been a number of COVID-19 outbreaks in Minnesota prisons. At the time of writing, there were over 4,250 confirmed cases in all correctional facilities since the pandemic began, as well as 12 deaths.

Vaccination in Prisons

At the time of writing, just over 4,000 Minnesota prisoners had been fully vaccinated, with more than 600 awaiting a second dose having already received a first. 

If you need help with a Minnesota DWI case or another criminal matter, contact us today. Your initial consultation will be free.