Protesters have called for more prisoners to be released from Shakopee’s female prisons during the pandemic. Shakopee News

Earlier this month, IWOC also protested outside Governor Tim Waltz’s mansion and prisons in Stillwater, calling for the state to release 2,700 prisoners due to COVID-19 concerns.

The DOC states that 14 Shakopee prisoners were released early or received conditional medical release for reasons related to COVID-19.

The IWOC said Minnesota is behind the game, because 1,600 prisoners were released in Wisconsin and 1,293 were released in Iowa for COVID-19 purposes. The Shakopee correctional facility is of special interest to the IWOC because of its mother in prison.

“Community members want to highlight the situation facing many Shakopee mothers,” the committee said in a press release.

Kerry Bear, a prisoner at the Shakopee Correctional Facility, told Valley News last month that she shared a cell with an elderly prisoner with health problems, and if COVID-19 entered the facility, she was at risk. Said that he was afraid. You cannot survive the disease.

“If I had a virus and gave it to her, she would die,” Baer said. “I don’t want it in my conscience and I don’t want to deal with it.”

On April 1, Shakopee prison officials reported that criminals had documented respiratory health problems, older long-term women without serious health problems, women with compromised immune systems, and pregnant crimes. The other two troops are taken to the gym and, according to Veil, quarantined for protection.

Tyler Winkelman, co-head of Health, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice Lab of the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute and doctor of Hennepin County Jail, said that if COVID-19 enters Shakopee’s prison, the magnitude of the outbreak has already been implemented. Public health measures.

“If there are still large gatherings, people will not have access to hand sanitizers, and if they are not educated about treating coughs, it will be a big outbreak,” he said. It was “ If strong measures are already taken, such as group minimization, isolation of elderly or sick patients in different parts of prisons, screening staff, the range of coronaviruses in the facility may be relatively small. There is. “

A corrections department spokesman said inmates had access to hand sanitizers, were given more soap bars, and handwashing stations were installed throughout the facility. He said staff are developing plans to maximize social distance while maintaining access to programming and oversight.

“We worked directly with the Department of Health’s epidemiological staff for a few weeks to plan the known potential of COVID-19 staff and prisoners,” Paul Schnell, Director of Corrections, wrote in a statement last month. Said. “We take all reasonable steps to minimize the spread of infection using state correctional facilities and implement methods to medically protect the highest risk population.”

Anyone who steps into a correctional facility must first be screened. For that screening, ask the staff if they have any symptoms such as coughing, and take their temperature.

As of May 13, 23 inmates at Shakopee Women’s Correctional Center had been tested for COVID-19, all negative. One staff member at the Shakopee facility tested positive.

At the Willow River correctional facility, 59 positive cases were confirmed as of 13 May, with 36 cases at Moose Lake.

“There is no doubt that the facility was not designed with pandemic preparedness in mind,” DOC spokeswoman Nikola Skinball said in an email to Valley News. “They are an environment that is difficult to manage under normal circumstances. However, all facilities, including Shakopee, have more details to manage a pandemic developed in collaboration with the Department of Health around CDC guidelines for correctional facilities. Have a good plan. “

Kimball said these plans included a “stay in unit” plan that would limit the spread within the facility. In addition, each prisoner will be given a mask to wear at all times, and all newly admitted women will be quarantined for 14 days before reaching prison.

The DOC said anyone with symptoms could be placed in isolated or restricted dwellings. According to the DOC, inmates isolated due to COVID-19 concerns are allowed to bring their belongings.