Difference Between Minnesota Prison and Federal Prison
What is the Difference Between Federal Prison and Minnesota State Prison?
Minnesota prisons vary from federal prisons in management, funding, and prisoners held in these facilities. Federal prisons are under the federal government's jurisdiction, while Minnesota prisons are under the state's control. Also, federal prisons imprison violators of federal law, and state prisons incarcerate state law offenders.
Federal crimes include bank robberies, mail fraud, aircraft hijacking, identity theft, tax evasion, electoral fraud, and other offenses that aren't jurisdiction-based. Most crimes committed in the United States are prosecuted under state law. Still, they can be recognized as federal offenses if carried out on federal property, between a state's borders, or if the crime involves a federal agency. On the other hand, state crimes include violations perpetuated within a state's boundaries, including murder, rape, car hijackings, armed robbery, and battery. Consequently, most offenders in federal prisons are usually incarcerated for white-collar crimes, while state prisons house the most violent offenders.
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a federal agency, has authority over federal prisons. The agency admits, processes, confines violators of federal law, and manages all prisoners' records. On the other hand, state prisons are run by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The department supervises Minnesota's entire prison system. The agency is also responsible for processing prisoners and keeping records. The state government funds the state department of corrections.
As the federal government is nation-spanning, it can establish federal prisons in any part of the nation. Its prisoners can be held in any facility regardless of where the actual offense took place. State prisons are erected in the state, and convicts are within that state.
The influence of the level of government also differentiates the classification of a prison. Federal prisons are usually better funded than state prisons due to the federal government's more extensive financial resources. More funding implies better facilities, medical care, and better living conditions.
How to Lookup an Inmate in Minnesota
The BOP operates a locator service where interested parties can search for inmates' details. At state level, parties seeking Minnesota inmate records or an inmate's location can visit the county jail or Sheriff's Department in the locality where the offense and arrest occurred. Inquirers will have to provide their full names and other personal details to streamline the search. In some Minnesota counties, the Sheriff's Department operates an online jail roster and an inmate search tool where the penitentiary documents reports of every booking. Members of the public can use the inmate locator service to search for Minnesota inmate records under the jurisdiction of the MNDOC, including persons out on parole. The service is free, but it requires entering the inmate's name or the MNDOC number unique to each prisoner. The search will reveal information about the inmate, such as the inmate's name, the date of birth, the sentencing date, the anticipated release date, the inmate's status, and the offense's details. The MNDOC also maintains two other offender searches, one for active fugitives and unregistered predatory offenders.
The Minnesota Prison System
The Minnesota prison system consists of jails, prisons, and other facilities, established to confine individuals guilty of state crimes. Just as in all other states, the prison system in Minnesota is run by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MNDOC). The MNDOC directly manages all the 11 state prisons but only supervises jails' activities. The management of jails is in the local law enforcement authority's hands – the police department in the cities and the Sheriff's Office in the counties. There are currently no private prisons in Minnesota. The only private facility, the Prairie Correctional Facility, was closed down in 2010.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections maintains the statistics of each prison under its care. According to its latest publication on the first of January, 2021, the total number of persons in Minnesota prison is 7,593, with 94.3% male and 5.7% female. The top three offenses of Minnesota's prison population were criminal sexual conduct, homicide, and drug-related activities. The racial distribution in Minnesota prisons includes 51.1% white, 37.7% black, 8.3 %American Indian, 2.7% Asian, and the remaining 0.3% consist of other racial groups.
There are eleven prisons in Minnesota, they are:
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Faribault (minimum and medium-security prison)
1101 Linden Lane
Faribault, MN 55021
Phone: (507) 334-0700
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Lino Lakes (minimum and medium-security prison)
7525 Fourth Avenue
Lino Lakes, MN 55014
Phone: (651) 717-6100
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights (maximum security prison)
5329 Osgood Avenue North
Stillwater, MN 55082
Phone: (651) 779-1400
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Red Wing (minimum security prison)
1079 Highway 292
Red Wing, MN 55066
Phone: (651) 267-3600
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Rush City (close security prison)
7600 - 525th St.
Rush City, MN 55069
Phone: (320) 358-0400
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Shakopee (female prison)
1010 West Sixth Avenue
Shakopee, MN 55379
Phone: (952) 496-4440
Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud (close security prison)
2305 Minnesota Blvd
St. Cloud, MN 56304
Phone: (320) 240-3000
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Stillwater (minimum security prison)
970 Pickett St
Bayport, MN 55003
Phone: (651) 779-2700
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Togo (minimum security prison)
62741 Co Rd. 551
Togo, MN 55723
Phone: (218) 376-7878
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Willow River (minimum security prison)
86032 County Highway 61
Willow River, MN 55795
Phone: (218) 372-3101
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake (medium-security prison)
1000 Lake Shore Drive
Moose Lake, MN 55767
Phone: (218) 485-5000
Minnesota County Jails
In Minnesota, county jails are facilities that hold offenders temporarily pending the court's final decision on whether to transfer to a maximum prison, discharge the offender, or dish out community punishment according to the severity of the violation. Minnesota county jails are independently run by the Sheriff, who cater to security, feeding, medical aid, and the inmates' general welfare, following the statutes regulating county and regional jails. Minnesota has 87 counties, and 82 of these counties operate detention facilities.
364 people out of every 10,000 residents in Minnesota are either in prisons, jails, or other facilities. According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections data, male adult incarceration accounts for 93.4% of the imprisonment in the state. In comparison, female adult convictions amount to 6.6% of detentions in the state. A total of 9,381 individuals make up the incarceration population for January 2020. This data also shows statistics regarding the type of offense, the educational level of offenders, religion, marital status, and the county of commitment. For the year 2019, 77.6%, a total of 5,716 offenders, were released on parole, while new commitments saw 4,107 individuals incarcerated.
Convicts may need funds for personal care items and other necessities. Individuals can send money to an inmate through money orders or electronically via J-pay by completing the required forms. It is essential that persons making donations are not prisoners still on paper supervision and do not violate the DOC policy 300.100. Else, donations will be put on hold until the inmate is released. Furthermore, family members looking to pay visits to incarcerated persons should obey the strict policy on visitation.
How Does the Federal Prison System Work?
Federal prisons are detention facilities to provide correctional aid or punish violators of federal law. The Federal Bureau of Prisons manages the federal prisons all across the country, and the Department of Justice, according to hierarchy, has jurisdiction over the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The United States has 64 prison facilities serving different purposes. These incarceration facilities are classified into;
- Federal correctional institutions
- The United State penitentiaries
- Private correctional institutions
- Administrative facilities
- Federal Prison Camps
- Federal correctional complexes
- Former federal facilities
Federal Prison Camps (FPCs) are facilities with minimum security - a dormitory and a low staff to inmate ratio. FPCs are work-oriented, and many are located in the perimeters of military bases since the inmates provide labor for the larger bases. There are six FPCs in the United States of America for male and female inmates. Federal correctional institutions play a different role in the penal system. There are 73 federally operated correctional institutions and 12 private correctional institutions that correct, rehabilitate, and re-introduce offenders into society. The Federal Bureau of Prisons gives the public access to records of federal inmates by name, the state of location, or via the map and by registration number.
