Inmate Rights in Minnesota

Minnesota's prison rights landscape stands out in this series for two features that no other state in this guide can match. First, Minnesota made all phone calls from state prisons and jails free, effective July 1, 2023. Calls are no longer a cost burden on families and incarcerated people. Second, Minnesota allows people with felony convictions to vote as soon as they are released from prison, even if they remain on parole or probation. These two facts shape the daily experience of incarceration and reintegration in Minnesota more than almost any policy detail in other states.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections, known as MNDOC, operates the state's adult correctional facilities. The Office of the Ombudsman for Corrections, known as the OBFC, is an independent external body that investigates complaints after the internal grievance process is completed. A 2023 federal consent decree resolved a DOJ investigation finding that MNDOC discriminated against incarcerated people with disabilities in its GED program, requiring policy revisions, staff training, and an agency wide ADA coordinator. The Minnesota Restitution Reform Act, known as the MRRA, passed in 2023 and became operational by 2025, creating a new pathway for early release consideration.

This guide covers rights inside Minnesota state prisons and local jails across ten domains, grounded in MNDOC policy, Minnesota statute, and the current legal landscape.

Here is the short version, before we take each right apart.

Phone calls from Minnesota state prisons are free as of July 1, 2023, with no cost to the caller or the incarcerated person. Medical and mental health care are constitutionally required. Mail is governed by MNDOC policy with legal mail constitutionally protected. Video visitation is available. Visiting applications moved to an electronic process beginning August 4, 2025. Grievances follow the MNDOC internal process; after exhaustion, the Office of the Ombudsman for Corrections can investigate. Disciplinary hearings carry due process protections. Solitary confinement has been the subject of reform advocacy and legislation that the DOC Commissioner called unwise and unsafe. Religious practice is protected under the First Amendment and RLUIPA. PREA protections apply. Minnesota agreed to a 2023 DOJ consent decree on ADA accommodations in its GED program. People with felony convictions in Minnesota can vote as soon as they are released from prison, including while on parole and probation. The Board of Pardons now requires only two of three votes for approval.

Free phone calls

Minnesota is one of only a small number of states in the country where all phone calls from state prisons are free to both the caller and the person being called. This became law effective July 1, 2023, following the passage of legislation that also covered state licensed juvenile detention centers. The MNDOC website states explicitly that all calls from an incarcerated person at MNDOC facilities are at no cost. Calls are limited in length to allow access for everyone who wants to use the phone, but the number of calls an individual can make is not limited.

This is a significant development for families. Historically, phone call costs in prisons were a major financial barrier that most research shows disproportionately harms families in poverty. For families of people in Minnesota state prisons, that financial barrier no longer exists for basic phone contact. The same law also prohibited prisons from processing prepaid calling accounts, because those become unnecessary when calls are free. InmateAid can help families understand the current call system at specific MNDOC facilities and confirm the best way to receive calls.

Medical and mental health care

Every person in a Minnesota state prison has a constitutional right to adequate medical and mental health care under the Eighth Amendment. MNDOC provides health care services across its facilities. Routine care requests go through the facility health services process.

If your loved one is not receiving needed medical or mental health care, submit every request in writing with a date, keep copies, and file a formal grievance through the MNDOC grievance process. Document every denial and its consequences. After the internal grievance process is completed, the Office of the Ombudsman for Corrections (OBFC) can independently investigate complaints about medical care in MNDOC facilities. Contact the ACLU of Minnesota for systemic concerns about health care in Minnesota state prisons.

Mail and correspondence

Mail in Minnesota state prisons is governed by MNDOC policy. Incoming general mail is subject to inspection. Legal mail, meaning correspondence with courts, licensed attorneys, and other privileged parties, must be opened only in the incarcerated person's presence to check for physical contraband and cannot be read. This constitutional protection applies across all MNDOC facilities.

Publications including books and magazines are subject to MNDOC content review. When mail is rejected, the incarcerated person is entitled to notice and may challenge the rejection through the grievance process. InmateAid can help families confirm the current mailing address and format requirements for the specific facility before sending. Because MNDOC phone calls are free, mail serves a complementary role for sharing documents, photos, and written communications that phone contact cannot replace.

Visitation

Visitation at MNDOC adult correctional facilities moved to an electronic application process beginning August 4, 2025. Potential visitors must complete the electronic application before any visit can occur. The Visitor Authorization Unit, known as the VAU, processes visitor applications and can be reached at 320 358 0466. No information about a specific person's visitor list will be given over the phone; anyone seeking that information must present a picture ID at an MNDOC facility.

MNDOC policy prohibits visitation if there is an active protective order or no contact directive between the applicant and the incarcerated individual. Minors visiting require a notarized Minor Escort Authorization. If a visit is denied or a visitor is removed from an approved list, the incarcerated person may seek review through the MNDOC grievance process. Video visitation is also available at MNDOC facilities. County jails in Minnesota have separate visiting procedures governed by local authority. Contact InmateAid for facility specific visiting information.

Phone and video contact

All phone calls from Minnesota state prisons are free as of July 1, 2023. There is no cost to the caller or to the incarcerated person. Calls are limited in length to allow equitable access for everyone, but the number of calls is not limited. Attorneys are not monitored or recorded. MNDOC no longer processes prepaid calling accounts because they are unnecessary when calls are free. Families who previously maintained prepaid accounts should confirm current procedures with the facility or through InmateAid.

Video visitation is also available at MNDOC facilities. Video visits typically require scheduling in advance and connecting through an approved platform. InmateAid can help families confirm the current video visit scheduling process and availability at the specific facility. Because phone calls are free and unlimited in number, maintaining regular voice contact is significantly easier in Minnesota than in most other states in this series.

The grievance process and the Ombudsman for Corrections

Minnesota uses a two track complaint and oversight system. The first track is the MNDOC internal grievance process, which must be completed before a federal civil rights lawsuit can be filed under the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The grievance is filed in writing through the facility's grievance process, with escalation available.

The second track is the Office of the Ombudsman for Corrections, known as the OBFC. The OBFC is an independent body that investigates complaints after the internal MNDOC grievance process is completed, unless there is a reason the person could not pursue the internal process. Complaints are filed with the OBFC by mail using an official form, or by email for COVID related complaints. In 2024, the OBFC handled roughly 867 complaints, conducting deeper investigations in 115 of those cases; 69 percent were about MNDOC prisons and 23 percent were about local correctional facilities. The OBFC identifies systemic issues and makes policy recommendations, giving it the ability to address patterns, not just individual cases. File the internal grievance first for legal effect, then contact the OBFC for independent investigation.

Disciplinary hearings

When a person in Minnesota state custody is accused of a disciplinary infraction, they are entitled to the minimum due process protections from Wolff v. McDonnell: advance written notice of the charge, a hearing, and a written statement of the evidence and reasons for any sanction. MNDOC policy governs the disciplinary process at its facilities.

A disciplinary conviction can affect classification, housing assignment, program eligibility, visiting access, and the consideration under the Minnesota Restitution Reform Act. Document what happened at any disciplinary hearing, who was present, and what evidence was considered. If the hearing result appears to violate procedural requirements, appeal through the MNDOC process and file a grievance. After grievance exhaustion, the OBFC can also investigate complaints about the disciplinary process.

Solitary confinement and restrictive housing

Solitary confinement in Minnesota state prisons has been the subject of active advocacy and legislative debate. Advocates have pushed for statutory limits on isolation similar to laws in Colorado and other reform states. MNDOC Commissioner Tom Schnell publicly called proposed legislation to ban solitary confinement in Minnesota's jails and prisons unwise and unsafe. As of this writing, Minnesota does not have a statutory limit on solitary confinement comparable to Colorado's 15 day maximum.

If your loved one is in solitary confinement or restrictive housing, document the conditions, the stated reason for placement, the daily out of cell time, and whether mental health services are being provided. File a grievance for conditions that appear to violate MNDOC policy or constitutional standards. After grievance exhaustion, contact the OBFC, which specifically investigates complaints from MNDOC facilities. The ACLU of Minnesota monitors solitary confinement in Minnesota state prisons and can be contacted for systemic concerns.

PREA and protection from sexual abuse

The Prison Rape Elimination Act applies in all MNDOC facilities and in Minnesota county and local jails. Every person in custody has the right to be free from sexual abuse and sexual harassment by staff and by other incarcerated people. MNDOC must maintain PREA policies, train staff, provide a reporting mechanism, and protect people who report from retaliation.

Reports of sexual abuse or harassment can be made to facility staff, to the PREA coordinator, or through external reporting options. Retaliation against someone who reports is a PREA violation and the basis of a separate complaint. The OBFC can also investigate staff conduct complaints including PREA related matters after internal exhaustion. Document every incident, every report made, and any change in housing or treatment that follows.

Religious practice

People in Minnesota state prisons have the right to religious practice under the First Amendment and the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. MNDOC must accommodate sincere religious beliefs and practices unless it can demonstrate a compelling security interest that cannot be addressed through less restrictive means. Religious programming and chaplaincy services are available in MNDOC facilities.

Requests for specific religious accommodations, including dietary adjustments and access to religious items, go through the facility chaplain and the MNDOC accommodation process. Denials must rest on a genuine documented security concern. Denials can be challenged through the MNDOC grievance process and, if unresolved, in federal court under RLUIPA.

ADA and disability accommodations: the 2023 consent decree

People with disabilities in Minnesota state prisons are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. In September 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a Letter of Findings against MNDOC finding that it discriminated against incarcerated people with disabilities in its GED program, failing to provide reasonable modifications during GED courses, practice tests, and exams for people with learning disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, vision impairments, and mental health disabilities. On February 14, 2023, the DOJ filed a complaint and proposed consent decree to resolve these findings.

Under the 2023 consent decree, MNDOC agreed to revise its policies, train personnel, educate incarcerated individuals about their rights and the revised policies, and hire an agency wide ADA coordinator. This consent decree creates enforceable obligations that go beyond the constitutional floor. Requests for disability accommodations should be submitted in writing. A denial or failure to respond can be challenged through the grievance process and, if unresolved, through the DOJ consent decree's monitoring mechanisms. Document every accommodation requested and every response received.

Voting rights and the Board of Pardons

Minnesota allows people with felony convictions to vote as soon as they are released from prison, even if they remain on parole or probation. This is a significant right compared to many other states, where voting rights are not restored until the completion of parole or probation or require a separate petition process. A felony conviction in Minnesota does not permanently remove voting rights; release from prison restores them.

Minnesota also reformed its Board of Pardons in 2023. The Board is composed of the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Previously, a unanimous vote was required for a pardon, commutation, or reprieve. The 2023 reform changed this to require only two of the three members, with the Governor voting in the majority. A nine member commission was created to review applications and advise the Board. The Minnesota Restitution Reform Act, passed in 2023 and operational by 2025, created a new early release consideration pathway based on programming participation.

The bottom line for Minnesota

Minnesota's prison rights landscape is defined by its commitment to removing financial barriers to family connection (free phone calls), restoring civic participation quickly (voting rights upon release from prison even while on parole), and providing an independent external complaint body (the OBFC). These features together make Minnesota's prison system one of the more reform oriented in the country on measured dimensions, while significant concerns about solitary confinement and health care remain active.

The rights in this guide are real: free phone calls, Eighth Amendment medical care, legal mail protections, electronic visitation applications through the VAU, grievances through the MNDOC internal process followed by OBFC independent investigation, due process in disciplinary hearings, PREA protections, religious accommodation, ADA rights backed by a 2023 DOJ consent decree, and voting rights upon release from prison. Document everything, file every grievance, use the OBFC after exhaustion, contact the ACLU of Minnesota for systemic concerns, and stay in contact through InmateAid.