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Corrections highlights $732 million deferred-maintenance need and seeks Rush City expansion to add programming space
Summary
The Department of Corrections told the capital committee that one-third of statewide deferred maintenance is within DOC facilities, estimated at $732 million to reach fair condition, and requested funding for asset preservation and an expansion at Rush City to add rehabilitative program space.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Department of Corrections asked the Senate Capital Investment Committee on Jan. 28 for large-scale capital attention to aging prison infrastructure and to fund an expansion at Rush City Prison intended to reduce idleness and expand rehabilitative programming.
Why it matters: DOC officials told lawmakers deferred maintenance in state-managed properties is concentrated in corrections facilities and that investing in facilities and programming space is tied to rehabilitation outcomes and public safety.
Commissioner Paul Schnell said the department manages 336 buildings across 11 prisons and estimated that bringing DOC infrastructure to fair condition would cost about $732 million; prisons account for roughly a third of the state’s deferred-maintenance total. He said 16 DOC buildings are in “crisis” condition and 61 are in “poor” condition. The DOC operates 24/7 and houses about 8,300 people; Schnell noted 96% of DOC operating funds come from the state general fund.
Schnell urged the committee to consider two priorities in the governor’s bonding recommendations: asset preservation across the department and a project at Rush City to expand rehabilitative space. He said Rush City, which opened 24 years ago, was originally intended for single bunking with more programming space but was double-bunked before opening, reducing available program space. He said about 1,000 men are incarcerated at Rush City and roughly one-quarter — about 250 men — are “completely entirely idle.”
The DOC requested funds to add classroom, treatment and vocational space at Rush City so more people could participate in education, cognitive-behavioral and substance-use disorder programs. Schnell cited evidence that participation in rehabilitation programming reduces recidivism and that Rush City has significant wait lists: he said more than 300 men there are on wait lists for sex-offense treatment, and more than 200 lack a high-school diploma.
Committee members asked about recent security incidents and facility conditions. Schnell noted a past incident at Stillwater tied in part to extreme heat and aging HVAC systems, and said preventing similar events requires investment in infrastructure and, in some cases, replacement of very old facilities. On costs, he said the Rush City expansion request in the governor’s package rose by about $11 million from the prior request — an increase he attributed to inflation and construction-price changes. He said the DOC will provide additional project details as design work continues.
Schnell also noted the department has hosted legislative tours of prison facilities to show lawmakers the conditions and program needs.
No committee votes were recorded. Schnell asked lawmakers to consider the public-safety benefits of investing in rehabilitative space and long-term asset preservation for the corrections system.
