SEPTEMBER 21, 2023:
STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) — State health officials have said that the drinking water at a Minnesota prison is safe after inmate and advocate concerns over the water’s quality prompted a new round of tests. The analysis “did not find indications of a health risk from the drinking water,” according to the report from the Minnesota Department of Health. But the report also noted that brown water at hot water taps, like where inmates shower, “can indicate degradation of water quality in the building.” About 100 inmates at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater refused to return to their cells on Sept. 3, 2023, when dangerously high temperatures plagued the region. The report Wednesday (Sept. 20, 2023) did little to alleviate the concerns.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2023:
STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) — State officials have ordered additional tests on drinking water at a Minnesota prison to ensure that it’s safe for staff and inmates. The Department of Corrections announced the testing in a statement over the weekend. It comes after advocates voiced concerns about unsafe conditions at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, including potentially unsafe drinking water. The concerns led about 100 inmates to refuse to return to their cells during a heat wave earlier this month (Sept. 2023). The department is having bottled water brought in for staff and prisoners while the agency awaits the testing results.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2023:
STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota prison has “resolved without incident” a situation involving about 100 inmates in one housing unit who would not return to their cells. One former inmate on Sunday (Sept. 3, 2023) called the move by prisoners an act of self-preservation. The Department of Corrections said that the situation was “calm, peaceful and stable throughout the day” and that inmates had “indicated dissatisfaction” because the understaffed facility had to limit inmates’ time out of their cells. However, advocates who gathered outside of the Stillwater prison said inmates are fed up with unfair and unsafe conditions amid excessive heat, including limited access to showers, that have been ongoing for months.
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