Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights

The Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights (MCF-OPH) is a state prison located in Stillwater, Minnesota, USA.

Constructed in 1981, MCF-OPH is the state's only Level 5 (Maximum) Custody Level prison for men, with an inmate population just under 500. The facility is home to some of the state's most violent offenders, as well as many out-of-state commits and a few federal inmates.

The prison itself is built into the side of a hill, with much of the 3 story roof line just above ground level. The prison is a single ring shaped building, with a large courtyard/baseball field in the center.

The prison is composed of nine self-sustaining living units, referred to as complexes. The first six complexes each house 52 offenders and include shower facilities and a common area used for recreation and meals. Offenders in these complexes range from those serving segregation time, to those who are in education toward a GED, or working full time in the facility as cooks, janitors, painters, or workers in the institution's industry units. MCF-OPH is home to the MN DOC Commissary program. Inmates who qualify for this work programs are employed to processes and package commissary orders from the other state correctional facilities.

Two of the three remaining complexes house the Mental Health Unit (MHU) and the Transitional Care Unit (TCU). The MHU and TCU both handle inmates from the entire Minnesota DOC who require the unique services of those units. The TCU serves inmates who need intensive nursing care, such as post surgical care, and also serves as a hospice. The MHU works with individuals who are in a mental health crisis or individuals who have been civilly committed as mentally ill in addition to their criminal commitment.

The ninth unit, completed in 2001, is the state's Administrative Control Unit. The ACU is sometimes referred to as "Super-Seg" and houses the most violent offenders in an environment nearly completely free of physical contact with staff. Many of the offenders in the ACU have attempted to assault prison staff, or have engaged in a deadly assault on another inmate. Each cells is a self contained living unit that includes sink, toilet, and shower. Each cell is accessed through two sets of doors, creating a sally port for each cell. Offenders are typically given access to an exercise room that is open to outside air for one hour each day.

The MCF-OPH facility, together with the H Unit of Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma, was featured in a one hour TV documentary titled "Maximum Security Prisons", produced by Alan Hall (Beyond Productions) for the "On the Inside" series of the Discovery Channel. National Geographic has also produced an episode of "America's Hardest Prisons" on the Oak Park Heights Facility.

External links

* [http://www.doc.state.mn.us/facilities/oakpark.htm Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights]