Minn. Department of Corrections urges $65M-plus in bonding for asset preservation, seeks Rush City expansion

Paul Schnell, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, told the state House Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 20 that the department is seeking capital investments to address a $732 million deferred‑maintenance backlog and to expand rehabilitative space at the Rush City prison.

"This extensive infrastructure is critical to our mission and requires constant attention and upkeep," Commissioner Paul Schnell said in his opening remarks. He said the DOC operates 11 prisons, employs about 4,300 people and houses roughly 8,300 people statewide.

The committee heard that about one‑third of the deferred maintenance across state agencies — 33% — is within the Department of Corrections. Carl Hunt, the DOC’s Capital Resource Administrator, told the committee the department is forecasting 40 critical asset‑preservation projects that could be completed with the governor’s recommended asset‑preservation funding of about $65,500,000.

Why it matters: DOC officials said deferred maintenance affects security systems, water and sewage systems, housing, classrooms and other facilities used around the clock, and that poor facilities hinder rehabilitative programming the department says reduces recidivism. "Investing in infrastructure improvements for Minnesota state prisons is not just about sustaining buildings, it's about how we keep communities safe," Commissioner Schnell said.

Key numbers and conditions described at the hearing: - Deferred maintenance estimate for DOC facilities: $732,000,000 (up from $631,000,000 three years earlier). - Buildings in crisis condition: 16; in poor condition: 61 (numbers provided by the DOC). - DOC projects on hold awaiting resources: over 75 (as stated by Carl Hunt).

Rush City expansion request Commissioner Schnell described a separate, urgent project to expand rehabilitative and treatment space at the Minnesota Correctional Facility–Rush City. He said Rush City houses about 1,000 men and that roughly one‑quarter of the population is "entirely idle" because there is insufficient programming space.

"When the prison was designed, the intention was for it to be a single bunk ... but the decision was made to double bunk the facility," Schnell said, saying the result is limited programming space and a larger idle population. DOC testimony said roughly 200 men at Rush City lack a high school diploma or GED, more than 300 were on the wait list for offender‑specific treatment, and more than 50% of the population require behavioral‑health treatment. The DOC described current treatment space at Rush City as limited to two small rooms for mental‑health appointments and a temporary double‑wide trailer for offender‑specific treatment.

Commissioner Schnell and Carl Hunt said the Rush City expansion has been part of prior bonding requests. Mr. Hunt told the committee the 2024 capital request for the Rush City priority was "around $46,000,000," and that it "escalated by $11,000,000" for the current request (the committee heard the escalation was attributed to inflation and an extended project schedule). Committee members and DOC officials discussed the governor’s presentation materials, which committee members said listed asset‑preservation or bond components as $65,000,000 (noting later in Q&A a breakdown of $60,000,000 in general obligation bonds and $5,000,000 in cash for certain asset items).

What DOC said programming expansion would deliver DOC leaders said expanded space would permit delivery of education, offender‑specific treatment, substance‑use disorder treatment, mental‑health services and vocational training. Commissioner Schnell and Carl Hunt estimated that a built‑out offender‑specific treatment program at Rush City could serve about 30–35 people at any one time, with maximum treatment time dependent on assessed risk and described as up to about 17 months.

Commissioner Schnell repeatedly framed the need in public‑safety terms: he said 95% of people incarcerated will return to communities across Minnesota and cited a DOC figure that participation in rehabilitative programming reduces the likelihood of return to prison by 43%.

Equity and staffing concerns DOC testimony noted racial disparities at Rush City: committee members were told Rush City’s incarcerated population is roughly 55% Black and 7% Native American. Committee members raised staff safety concerns and asked how capital work might reduce risks to corrections staff; Commissioner Schnell said newer facilities and design features can improve staff safety compared with the state's oldest prisons, some more than a century old.

Questions and follow‑up Committee members pressed for clarifications on how the requested funding would reduce the idle population, whether the Rush City expansion would address double‑bunking and on breakdowns of bond vs. cash funding. DOC officials said the expansion would enable staff to deliver programming to the population now idle and that cash components in the request are intended for capital items that do not meet a 10‑year life cycle requirement for bonding (for example, certain electronics or short‑lived system components).

The hearing did not include a vote on bonding. The committee followed the DOC presentation with a Minnesota Public Facilities Authority presentation on water and wastewater funding needs.

Ending DOC officials asked the committee for support in the upcoming bonding process and urged work toward a bonding bill this year to address the department's deferred maintenance and the Rush City project. Committee members signaled interest in additional information and follow‑up from DOC staff.