US jail in Minnesota on lockdown as inmates refuse to go back to their cells
The lockdown occurred amid prison staff shortages during US labour day weekend
A Minnesota state prison was put on lockdown on Sunday as nearly one hundred inmates refused to return to their cells. The mark of protest driven by understaffing during Labour Day weekend eventually died down and the dispute was peacefully resolved, according to officials.
Inmates were reportedly dissatisfied with confinement due to staff shortages.
All inmates have since returned to their cells, a Department of Corrections spokesperson said in an official statement.
The spokesperson added that the special operations response team had been deployed "out of an abundance of caution" but that the situation was now "calm, peaceful and stable".
Additional law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency teams were stationed at the Baywater facility, located about 25 miles east of Minneapolis, the state's largest city.
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Advocates for the inmates cited concerns about prison conditions, such as extreme heat, and limited access to showers, ice, and clean drinking water.
One former inmate said the prisoners were involved in an act of "self-preservation" amid dangerously high temperatures in the region, Sky News reported.
Why is there a staff shortage in the US prisons?
The US Department of Correction has attributed the shortage of 50 officers to the holiday weekend, leading to sporadic inmate lockdowns over the weekend.
Following these incidents, reports said that there has been an increase in theextended periods of cell confinement without air conditioning.
While the DOC acknowledged the purported frustration of inmates over limited access to phones, recreation, and showers, they refuted claims of inadequate access to clean water.
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DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell noted that inmates typically had several hours of weekend recreation, but staff shortages during the holiday reduced it to just one hour.
AFSCME Council 5, the union representing Minnesota correctional officers, also attributed the incident to chronic understaffing, calling it endemic and highlighting the challenges faced by the MN Department of Corrections when there aren't enough security staff to protect the facility.
Department records indicate that approximately 1,200 inmates are jailed in the Baywater facility.
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