Minnesota has a statute governing solitary confinement in state prisons -- but advocates say it doesn't go nearly far enough. The 2019 law (Minn. Stat. 243.521) requires mental health screenings, reporting for anyone in segregation more than 30 days, and specific living conditions. It does not limit who can be placed in solitary or cap the maximum stay. In fact, in 2019, when the Legislature passed this law, the Minnesota Department of Corrections simultaneously increased the maximum allowable stay in restricted housing from 90 days (set in 2016) back up to 360 days. People can be held beyond 360 days if they commit a new violation while in restricted housing.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, Minnesota prisons recorded more than 10,000 solitary confinement placements, affecting approximately 5,200 individuals. That is more than three times the UN Mandela Rules' 15-day threshold for each placement.
At Oak Park Heights -- Minnesota's only maximum-security prison -- the Administrative Control Unit (ACU) holds people in extreme isolation. Robert Ives spent 600 days in the ACU, describing being locked in a soundproof cell with no physical human contact: "This is a place no 20-year-old kid should ever find himself."
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) uses "restricted housing" or "restrictive housing" as its official terms, defined in Minn. Stat. 243.521 and its implementing regulations. The major types:
Disciplinary Segregation: Short-term punitive isolation following a disciplinary hearing and finding of guilt, with a defined term.
Administrative Segregation (Administrative Control): Non-punitive long-term placement for safety, security, or management reasons. This is the primary form of extended solitary in Minnesota.
Administrative Control Unit (ACU): The specific unit at Oak Park Heights Maximum Security Prison for the most serious and long-term administrative control placements.
Step-Down Management Program: Minnesota DOC's pathway from restrictive housing back to general population, with graduated levels of restrictions.
Minnesota also has an older statute (Minn. Stat. 641.09) governing county jails that limits solitary confinement to 10 days per offense and 90 days total -- a more restrictive standard than the state prison framework.
The 2019 Law: Minn. Stat. 243.521
The 2019 Minnesota statute (Minn. Stat. 243.521) established the following requirements for restricted housing in state prisons:
Mental health screening: Required before or at placement in restricted housing.
Living conditions: Conditions in restricted housing must approximate general population conditions, including reduced lighting during nighttime hours.
Mandatory reporting: DOC must report to the commissioner on all people in solitary confinement for more than 30 consecutive days, and must submit reports for people held for more than 120 days -- including the reason for placement and a behavior management plan.
Services: Prisoners in restricted housing must receive mental health rounds, access to visits and communication, reading and writing materials, access to programs, regular showers, and meals that meet the same standards as general population.
Step-down and incentives: DOC must provide a step-down management program and behavioral incentives to accelerate return to general population.
No direct release to community from stays of 60+ days absent compelling reason: DOC cannot release someone directly from restricted housing of 60 or more days to the community without a documented compelling reason.
What the 2019 law did not do: It did not limit the duration of restricted housing or restrict who can be placed. And the same year it passed, MDOC increased the maximum allowable stay from 90 days back to 360 days.
The 360-Day Maximum (and Beyond)
In 2016, Minnesota DOC reduced the maximum allowable stay in restricted housing from two years to 90 days. In 2019, the DOC reversed course and increased the maximum back to 360 days. DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell explained that some prisoners refuse to leave restricted housing or reoffend in order to remain there, and that a small group engages in serious misconduct for the sole purpose of staying in restricted housing.
In practice, the 360-day maximum can be exceeded: if a person commits a new rule violation while in restricted housing, the clock resets or additional time is added. People have been held in Minnesota restricted housing for well beyond 360 days.
The ACU at Oak Park Heights
Oak Park Heights is Minnesota's only maximum-security prison, located in Oak Park Heights (Washington County). Its Administrative Control Unit (ACU) is the most restrictive housing in the state.
The ACU involves:
- Single-person soundproof cells.
- Extreme isolation with very limited human contact.
- Surveillance and controlled movement at all times.
Robert Ives described spending 600 days in the ACU. University of Minnesota Law School's September 2025 Solitary Confinement Symposium highlighted the ACU as a facility where "extreme isolation and surveillance define daily life."
Who Can Be Placed in Restricted Housing
Minnesota DOC policy places people in restricted housing when they pose a serious threat to the safety or security of the facility, staff, or other incarcerated people. Both administrative and disciplinary placement pathways exist.
There is no Minnesota statute excluding people with serious mental illness, pregnant people, or others from restricted housing in adult state prisons, though the 2019 law's reporting requirements create some transparency for longer-term placements.
Mental Health Protections
Minnesota's 2019 statute requires mental health screening before or at placement, mental health rounds during placement, and a behavior management plan for people held more than 120 days. DOC must report on any person held in restricted housing for more than 30 consecutive days.
There is no statutory prohibition on placement of people with serious mental illness in Minnesota restricted housing. The DOC operates under general Eighth Amendment healthcare obligations.
Juvenile Solitary Confinement
In 2023, Governor Tim Walz signed legislation banning juvenile solitary confinement in Minnesota detention facilities. The law was limited to juvenile facilities -- it does not affect adult state prisons. The DOC was required to develop new rules for isolating youth when needed for safety reasons, emphasizing return to general population programming as quickly as possible. Data reporting by race, age, and gender was required.
Legislative Status
HF 5432 (93rd Legislature, 2023-2024): A bill limiting segregated housing and prohibiting solitary confinement -- introduced April 2024, referred to Public Safety Finance and Policy committee, did not advance.
HF 1628 (94th Legislature, 2025): A bill limiting segregated housing in Minnesota jails and prisons and prohibiting solitary confinement -- introduced February 2025, referred to Public Safety Finance and Policy committee. Pending.
Minnesota is not among the 12 states identified by Unlock the Box as having passed solitary legislation between July 2024 and July 2025.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in restricted housing in a Minnesota state prison:
Find where your person is housed. Minnesota DOC provides an offender search at doc.state.mn.us. Confirm the current facility.
Contact the facility. For people at Oak Park Heights ACU, contact the facility administration at doc.state.mn.us. For other facilities, contact administrative staff directly.
Know the 30-day and 120-day reporting requirements. Under Minn. Stat. 243.521, DOC must report anyone in restricted housing for more than 30 days and must develop a behavior management plan for anyone held more than 120 days. If your person has been in restricted housing for 30+ days, ask whether this reporting is occurring.
Know the 360-day maximum. The current DOC maximum is 360 days in restricted housing per placement. If your person is approaching or has exceeded this, document it and seek legal help.
Understand the step-down pathway. The 2019 law requires a step-down management program. Ask classification staff what stage your person is in and what conditions for progression apply.
Document conditions. Keep records of every contact: out-of-cell time, mental health visits, programming access, visit and phone access, lighting. Document whether nighttime lighting is reduced as required.
File a grievance. Minnesota DOC has an administrative grievance process. Help your person file formal grievances for conditions that violate Minn. Stat. 243.521's requirements -- denial of mental health rounds, visits, programming, or adequate meals.
Contact the ACLU of Minnesota. The ACLU of Minnesota (aclu-mn.org) is an active advocate on Minnesota solitary confinement and a co-sponsor of the University of Minnesota Law School's 2025 symposium on the issue.
Contact Until We Are All Free. Until We Are All Free (untilweareallfreemn.org) is a Minnesota organization focused on criminal justice reform including solitary confinement and may provide referrals and advocacy support.
Seek legal help. If your person has a serious mental illness and is not receiving required mental health rounds and screening, if the 360-day maximum has been exceeded without a new violation, or if required reporting is not occurring, consult a prisoner rights attorney familiar with Minnesota courts.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in Minnesota prisons?
Minnesota DOC uses "restricted housing" or "restrictive housing." The main categories are disciplinary segregation (defined sanction after a hearing), administrative segregation (non-punitive, ongoing placement), and the Administrative Control Unit (ACU) at Oak Park Heights for the most serious long-term placements. Minn. Stat. 243.521 (2019) governs restricted housing in state prisons. Minn. Stat. 641.09 governs county jail solitary confinement separately.
What does Minnesota's 2019 solitary law require?
Minn. Stat. 243.521 (2019) requires: mental health screening before or at placement; living conditions approximating general population including reduced nighttime lighting; mandatory reporting for people in restricted housing for 30+ days; behavior management plans for 120+ day placements; mental health rounds; access to visits, communication, reading/writing materials, programs, regular showers, and equivalent meals; step-down management program and behavioral incentives; and no direct release to the community from 60+ day placements without a compelling reason.
How long can someone stay in solitary in Minnesota?
The current Minnesota DOC maximum is 360 days per placement. However, people can be held beyond 360 days if they commit new violations while in restricted housing. DOC Commissioner Schnell acknowledged this in 2024, noting a group who engage in misconduct specifically to remain in restricted housing. In 2016, the DOC had reduced the maximum to 90 days; in 2019 it was increased back to 360 days.
Who can be placed in restricted housing in Minnesota?
Anyone who poses a serious threat to the safety or security of the facility, staff, or other incarcerated people. There is no statutory exclusion for people with serious mental illness, pregnant people, or other vulnerable populations in Minnesota adult prisons. The 2019 law requires mental health screening and reporting but does not restrict who can be placed.
What is the ACU at Oak Park Heights Minnesota?
The Administrative Control Unit at Oak Park Heights (Minnesota's only maximum-security prison, in Washington County) is the most restrictive housing in the Minnesota prison system. It involves single-person soundproof cells, extreme isolation, minimal human contact, and constant surveillance. Robert Ives spent 600 days in the ACU. University of Minnesota Law faculty and advocates have highlighted the ACU as an example of extreme isolation that causes serious psychological harm.
What are conditions like in Minnesota restricted housing?
Under the 2019 law: nighttime lighting must be reduced; mental health rounds are required; access to visits, communication, reading, writing, programs, showers, and equivalent meals must be provided; a behavior management plan must exist for 120+ day placements. In practice, the ACU at Oak Park Heights involves soundproof single cells with very limited human contact. The DOC reported 10,000+ placements between July 2022 and June 2023 affecting approximately 5,200 individuals.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in MN?
No statutory exclusion exists for people with serious mental illness in Minnesota adult prisons. The 2019 law requires mental health screening before or at placement and mental health rounds during placement, but does not prohibit placement. The DOC must report on 30+ day placements and develop behavior management plans for 120+ day placements. The ACLU of Minnesota and advocates continue to push for stronger protections.
Is juvenile solitary confinement banned in Minnesota?
Yes, for juvenile facilities. Governor Walz signed legislation in 2023 banning juvenile solitary confinement in Minnesota youth detention facilities, with requirements for data reporting by race, age, and gender. The ban applies to juvenile facilities only and does not affect adult state prisons.
Can families visit someone in MN restricted housing?
Under the 2019 law, people in restricted housing must have access to visits consistent with the law's requirements. Contact the specific facility to confirm current visiting rules before traveling. For Oak Park Heights, contact facility administration through doc.state.mn.us. Visiting in restricted housing may be non-contact or otherwise limited compared to general population.
What can families do if someone is in MN solitary?
Use the DOC offender search at doc.state.mn.us to find your person. Contact the facility to confirm housing status and placement reason. Know the 30-day reporting and 120-day behavior management plan requirements under Minn. Stat. 243.521. Document whether nighttime lighting is reduced, whether mental health rounds are occurring, and whether visit and programming access is provided. File grievances for violations. Contact the ACLU of Minnesota (aclu-mn.org) or Until We Are All Free (untilweareallfreemn.org) for advocacy support. If the 360-day maximum has been exceeded or required services are not provided, consult a prisoner rights attorney. ---
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