BAYPORT, Minn. (NewsNation) — Minnesota’s largest close-security institution for adult males was put on an emergency lockdown Sunday morning as an estimated 100 inmates in one housing unit refused to return to their cells, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC).
According to the DOC, the incident was “resolved without incident.”
One former inmate there called the incident an act of “self-preservation” amid dangerously high temperatures in the region.
A Department of Corrections spokesperson said in a statement that “incarcerated individuals in the unit indicated dissatisfaction” because the understaffed facility had to limit inmates’ time out of their cells.
Advocates positioned outside of the Stillwater prison, some of whom have family members inside, said inmates are fed up from the excessive heat, limited access to showers and ice, and unclean drinking water.
According to KSTP, all DOC personnel had retreated from the common areas of the housing unit.
However, two correctional officers remain inside the unit’s secure control area, Bring Me The News reported. The DOC said the officers trapped inside are safe and in communication with the facility’s command personnel.
So far, no injuries have been reported, and the situation is “currently stable,” multiple reports say.
The agency has activated its Crisis Negotiation Team and deployed its Special Operations Response Team “out of an abundance of caution,” DOC spokesperson Andy Skoogman said.
Inmates have been on intermittent lockdowns since Friday because of staffing issues, they said, meaning they are kept in their cells, which reportedly don’t have air conditioning. The prison is in Bayport about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Minneapolis, which was under an afternoon heat advisory for temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius).
Additional state personnel have also been dispatched to the scene, including extra police, firefighters and other emergency response teams, CBS News reported.
This is a developing breaking news story. Check back later for the latest updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
