The Stillwater prison looks, smells and sounds like a completely different place these days.

As Minnesota Department of Corrections officials prepare for the upcoming closure of the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater in Bayport in 2029, entire cell blocks have been shuttered. The prison’s population, once 1,200, is now just 503. The number of staff working at the prison also has dropped dramatically. In June, when the phased closure was announced, there were 567 staff working at Stillwater. There are now 231.

Most striking is a radical change in programming. Earned living units, designed for inmates who have done well during their time in prison, launched in September and will remain in effect until the prison closes by June 30, 2029. The men selected to participate — 298 as of Thursday — have made their own community rules, established accountability structures, and have been responsible for choosing incentives.

DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell said the intention is to replicate earned living units, honors units and incentive-based living units in all facilities in the coming years. Earned living units require fewer staff resources, allowing correctional facilities to direct staffing resources where they are most needed. This approach supports a safer, more stable environment for incarcerated people and staff, Schnell said.

Members of the media were invited to tour the units on Thursday and got to see the prison’s first barber shop, called Street Cuts; the prison’s new and improved tattoo shop; two new barbeque grills; the newsroom of “The Mirror,” the oldest continuously published prison publication in the world, and the start of a new inmate-designed mural honoring Corrections Officer Joseph Gomm, who was bludgeoned to death by an inmate at the Stillwater prison in 2018.

Lt. Sam Marks in the entryway of Cell Hall B-East. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

“We went through a complete 180,” said Lt. Sam Marks, standing in the middle of Cell Hall B East. “If you would have walked down this hall a few years ago, you would have been terrified. I was the lead negotiator when we had our sit-in, and 120 (inmates) refused to go back to the rooms. … The amount of violence I’ve seen here in the last eight years, it’s astounding. Some of it will never leave me.

Marks, a 25-year veteran of the DOC, called the new approach “transformative.”

“It’s a different way of dealing with people on both ends. You sort of get institutionalized, and we’re kind of coming out of that. It’s a good thing. I don’t think the closure is a good thing, but I think that what we’re doing here is a good thing.”

Extra space

Each of the inmates in Cell Hall B are assigned two cells — one for sleeping and one for using however they want, Marks said. Some use the extra space for storing their possessions, making art, or even, in the case of Vincent Walker, growing an indoor herb garden. The cells in the earned living units are locked only at night and during the daily count.

Vincent Walker shows a list of herbs and peppers that he and Damon DiMartino, rear, are growing in an empty cell they have converted into a greenhouse. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Walker, 56, came to the earned living unit from Stillwater’s minimum-security unit, where he worked in the prison’s garden and took a horticulture class. When DOC officials asked what he wanted to do with his second cell, Walker said he wanted to create a greenhouse, complete with growing lights.

“We’ve got four varieties of basil — Italian, lemon, purple and Thai,” Walker said, during a tour of the small, bright space. “We also have cilantro, oregano, rosemary, thyme, lemon mint, peppermint and mountain mint. We keep track of the number of days for the harvest times.”

On Thursday, Walker was working on germinating pepper seeds in compostable egg cartons. Among the varieties: cayenne, Hungarian hot wax, poblano, California wonder, jalapeno and Hungarian sweet wax, he said.

“I don’t know how hot they’ll be,” said Walker, who is scheduled for release in January 2028. “We’re going to find out.”

New barber shop

Over in the prison’s lower recreation area, inmate Joe Soltis was giving a high-taper fade to fellow inmate Alex Keaton at the prison’s new barber shop. Soltis, 69, helped design and decorate the four-chair shop, Street Cuts, which opened five weeks ago, he said.

Licensed barber Joe Soltis trims fellow inmate Jordan Denk’s hair at the new barber shop called “Street Cuts.” (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

“We started with a blank slate,” said Soltis, a licensed barber who has been cutting hair for 49 years. “Before, each cell block had one cell that was designated for cutting hair. For 10 years, I’ve been trying to get something like this, and it finally happened. I’m proud of it. I’m proud of where it is. It’s not just a barbershop, it’s a place for the guys to come down and actually connect with each other and just enjoy being almost like outside of prison because it truly is nice.”

Soltis, who has served 26 years of his 30-year sentence, said he is grateful that DOC officials launched the ELU program.

“I’ve always wanted to say this: Prison can be a prison if prisoners act like prisoners,” Soltis said. “This is a building where people are acting like a community. People are coming together. It’s like any time we turn around and say, ‘Hey, we need some volunteers.’ We got 30, 40 people jumping to help.”

He said you don’t have to constantly remind the inmates who they are.

“We know who we are, and we know what we’ve done, and we’re trying to give back to the community in any way we can,” Soltis said. “But we’re also trying to make it better for people who come here, make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. … At the end of the day, you have to earn your place here every single day.”

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Soltis’ next customer, inmate Keith Grube, 59, was drinking coffee and sitting in a lounge chair as he waited his turn. “I haven’t sat in something this comfortable in 32 years,” he said. “I hope they’ll expand this to other facilities once everybody sees how well this is run. This is amazing what they’re doing. Everybody is pulling together. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I was in the service, and I saw some glimpses of people coming together, but I’m really seeing it here.”

Grube said he transferred to the earned living unit at Stillwater from Moose Lake in September. “When I got here, I had to wait a week for all my property, and I didn’t even mind because it was that much better already,” he said.

Tattoo shop

Up in the prison’s new tattoo shop, relocated to the former art room from a space near the prison’s laundry area in the basement, inmate Daniel Gonzales was putting the finishing touches on inmate Matthew Fahey’s full-back tattoo. The design is a Gonzales original: a fire-breathing dragon and a knight.

Licensed tattoo artist Daniel Gonzales continues working on fellow inmate Matthew Fahey’s back piece in the new tattoo studios at the Minnesota Corrections Facility – Stillwater in Bayport on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The prison is in the process of being shut down with inmates slowly being placed in other facilities. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Gonzales, 28, said he was selected to live in the earned living unit because of “good behavior, doing programming and staying out of trouble.”

“When I first came into prison, I was getting into trouble doing illegal tattoos and things like that,” he said. “But after a while, I changed. Something in me just clicked, and I changed what I was doing. Ever since then, it’s been an upward momentum of more positive things.”

Gonzales said the positivity and leniency gives inmates room to grow.

“When you’re surrounded by negativity, it tends to rub off on you. The opposite is also true: When you’re surrounded by positivity, it also rubs off on you. I’ve seen it in the guys. … We have something really good going on, and it’s more responsibility, too, because it’s not only for us, it’s for the possibility of other people to be able to do it later on.”

‘Landmark transformation’

Timothy O’Meara, an associate editor with “The Prison Mirror” newspaper, looks at art for an upcoming edition. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

The launch of the earned living units program is a “landmark transformation” for the DOC, said inmate Timothy O’Meara, an associated editor of “The Mirror.”

“It’s the big story — the lead story of our next issue,” he said. “It’s a big leap for the Department of Corrections. They’re not exactly known for jumping into things and trying new things, but the transition to this new structure is just amazing. I can’t even express to you how different it is — just the environment and the people. It’s completely a radical change.”

Inmate Bryan Eaker, who also serves as an associate editor at the newspaper, said he felt some trepidation coming to Stillwater from Moose Lake in September to take part in the earned living units program.

“It was really scary,” he said. “Just because of everything that you hear about Stillwater.”

He said when his bus arrived and he saw the building, the thought he had made a mistake.

“I can’t believe that I can say that I’m in Stillwater, and I’m enjoying being in Stillwater,” Eaker said. “That’s weird to even think that that’s a possibility.”

O’Meara and Eaker said they are doing all they can to make sure the ELU continues on into the future.

“We’re hoping that the Department of Corrections is going to see the wisdom in having a facility like this,” O’Meara said. “They’re taking a chance, you know, and they’re giving us an opportunity to show that we deserve to be here. That’s our hope – that not only will it be here for us, but it will continue on after we’re gone.”

Eaker said he is optimistic that that will be the case.

“There’s been such a mentality shift,” he said. “I mean, you’re asking IPs (incarcerated people) to be different IPs, you’re asking staff to be different staff, and you’re asking administration to be different administration. And if one of those doesn’t work, it’s not going to work.”

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Marks, the lieutenant, said he is all-in in making sure it works.

“It’s so nice to be able to come to work and say, ‘Hello’ and ‘How are you doing?’ to these guys and get it back and just have a pleasant atmosphere where we can kind of heal and they can change. We both can,” Marks said. “It’s my job to send these guys out better than they came in, and I think I can do that in a facility like this.”

In addition to launching the earned living units, DOC officials have expanded the prison’s Atlantis substance-use treatment program, increasing access to substance-use disorder treatment across the agency. As of Thursday, the program was at its full capacity of 93 inmates.

The rest of the prison population not eligible for an earned living unit, 112 inmates, are in segregation.

I have experienced firsthand the courage of two birth mothers who chose my husband and me to raise their babies. We met these pregnant women, as well as the birth fathers and birth grandparents, of our daughters. Together, we decided to move forward and build our unconventional family. It is called open adoption. Our children know their full story, living their lives knowing who they are and how they came to be adopted.

Some open-adoption arrangements are subtle, with occasional contact throughout the year. We went all in after meeting Carmen, our first birth mother, and then Nadia, our second. With open minds and open hearts, we shared our stories and listened to one another, realizing that we could help each other. We formed a family circle bound together by choice, vulnerability, communication and, most importantly, trust. We have stood next to each other at graduations, weddings, funerals, many celebrations, and visited often. With this approach, we held hands and embraced the unexpected outcomes together.

The best example of our 33-year family journey was told through a simple tradition at our daughter Caitlin’s wedding. Caitlin and her father were enjoying a spontaneous spin during their father-daughter dance when Bob let go of her hand. She glanced up, perplexed, and then she saw him. Her birth father slowly walked onto the floor with open arms and a brimming smile, ready to finish the dance. Bob knew it was his dance to share with Patrick. The magic was in watching the guests comprehend our family dynamic in real time. While many of our loved ones had met our two birth families on other occasions, this was the first time we were all together in one place, celebrating together. We invited the birth families of both daughters, clearly demonstrating that adoption does not separate families. It unites them.

Many have told us that we are different, that few people could raise their children while maintaining a close relationship with the birth families. I disagree. To share our children with the people who made them is the most incredible honor. It may not be typical, but it’s just another version of family, and we all know the challenges and triumphs of building a family. Step families have been setting the example for generations. It’s more about who shows up for one another than who is related by blood. The same holds true for families formed through open adoption.

Adoption is not always easy. I learned that attachment and abandonment issues are real possibilities for adoptees. Our own children have helped me understand this. Through counseling and education, we seek the support and tools needed to help us navigate the crevice that is created when the birthmother hands her baby to the adoptive parent. This is a lifelong process for the adoptee. If the birthmother knows she is supported by the adoptive family, and she can continue to know her child, this open line of communication helps her grow individually and bond with her child throughout the years.

Every adoption story is different. A common misconception is that in order to make open adoption successful, you have to arrive already open and accepting. But that’s not how it works. It’s a learning curve, full of risks and rewards, just like any worthwhile endeavor. Open adoption is a choice to cultivate relationships where a child’s best interests are at the heart of every decision. While it can feel impossible, you are not alone. Your adoption is supported because everyone is in it together.

Open adoption succeeds because it incorporates three essential ingredients: choice, trust and love. The birth mother has the choice to decide who she wishes to raise and nurture her baby. Once she chooses the adoptive parents, together they choose each other and agree on what their relationship will be and how to move forward.

A safe environment is created and nurtured by birth and adoptive parents who trust each other, agreeing to keep their word to each other. I was asked many times if I was afraid the birthmother would change her mind and keep the baby. I thought about it, but we all had counseling with every step, and more importantly, Carmen, Nadia, the birth fathers, Tony and Patrick, and Bob and I, were committed to one another.

The indescribable power of love blooms and grows through these relationships. To share our children with the people who made them is the most incredible honor. The more I share our story, my hope is that people will shift their attitude about adoption from one that feels scary to an informed approach — one that starts with choice and ends with love.

Susan Strong is a Twin Cities-based writer, adoption advocate, and author of One Yes at a Time: How Open Adoption Transformed Our Family. Read more at susanstrong.substack.com and www.susanstrongauthor.com

 

By REBECCA BOONE

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the release of 16 people detained by immigration officials during an FBI-led raid at a rural Idaho racetrack last month.

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U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that keeping the migrants jailed without bond violated their due process rights, and he ordered that they be released while they wait for their immigration cases to be resolved. Many of them have lived in the U.S. for decades and lacked any criminal history, Winmill noted. Some are married to U.S. citizens or have children who are U.S. citizens, according to court documents.

In an e-mailed statement to The Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents lawfully arrested the detainees during the raid, and added that “an activist judge is ordering lawbreakers to roam free.”

“The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country,” the department said.

The Oct. 19 raid at the privately operated outdoor track in Wilder was led by the FBI as part of an investigation into suspected illegal gambling. More than 200 officers from at least 14 agencies, including U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, participated in the raid, detaining around 400 people for hours, including many U.S. citizens.

Witnesses described aggressive tactics, including zip-tying children or separating young kids from their parents for an hour or more. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees Border Patrol and ICE, denied that children were zip-tied. FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker initially said no restraints or rubber bullets were used on children but later amended that statement, replacing “children” with “young children.”

The raid resulted in only a handful of gambling-related arrests, while 105 people were arrested on suspicion of immigration violations. Many of them signed voluntary agreements to leave the country before they were able to talk to immigration lawyers, said Nikki Ramirez-Smith, an immigration attorney whose firm is representing 15 of the people released this week.

Just 18 people detained in the raid have sought their release in the federal courts in Idaho, according to online court records. One of them had that request initially dismissed after a judge found that they did not include enough detail in their court filing, but the judge also gave them 30 days to try again. Another person is now pursuing release through a different federal court after they were transferred to a detention facility in a different state.

The federal judge in Idaho said that nearly all of his colleagues who have faced similar requests from immigration detainees have come to the same conclusion: That non-citizens who are detained while already present in the United States are entitled to due process rights.

“Treating the detention of noncitizens stopped at or near the border differently from noncitizens who reside within the country is not an anomaly. Instead, it reflects the long-recognized distinction in our immigration laws and the Constitution that due process protections apply to noncitizens residing within the country but not those stopped at or near the border,” Winmill wrote.

Ramirez-Smith said Winmill’s release orders do “a great job of putting into perspective what the issues are.”

“They’ll just stay home with their families, and we’ll file the applications for relief in immigration court, and they’ll get a court hearing. Those trial dates will probably be years out,” she said, because of a hefty backlog of more than 3 million cases in immigration courts.

Still, President Donald Trump has taken steps to reduce the backlog, instructing judges during his first term to deny entire categories of asylum claims such as for victims of gang or domestic violence.

During his current term, the Trump administration has fired dozens of immigration judges, and authorized about 600 military lawyers to work as temporary immigration judges. The administration has also frequently turned what would normally be routine immigration hearings into deportation traps, with government lawyers quickly dismissing asylum cases so the migrants who sought asylum can be immediately arrested in the courthouse halls.

By GARY D. ROBERTSON

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal judges on Thursday upheld several U.S. House districts that North Carolina Republicans drew in 2023 that helped the GOP gain additional seats the following year. They rejected accusations the lines unlawfully fractured and packed Black voters to weaken their voting power.

The order by three judges — all of whom were nominated to the bench by GOP presidents — didn’t rule on changes made last month to the 1st Congressional District that are designed to unseat Democratic Rep. Don Davis in 2026.

That alteration, completed at the urging of President Donald Trump as part of an ongoing national mid-decade redistricting fray, is still being considered by the panel. The judges heard arguments in Winston-Salem but didn’t immediately rule on whether they would block now the use of the 1st District and the adjoining 3rd District for next year’s election while more legal arguments are made. Candidate filing for the 2026 elections is set to begin Dec. 1.

Many allegations made by the state NAACP, Common Cause and voters cover both 2023 and 2025 changes, in particular claims of voter dilution and racial discrimination violating the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act.

The 2023 map turned a 7-7 North Carolina delegation into one in which Republicans won 10 of the 14 seats in 2024. Three Democrats chose not to seek reelection, saying it was essentially impossible to get reelected under the recast lines.

Thursday’s ruling by 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Allison Rushing and District Judges Thomas Schroeder and Richard Myers rejected claims that GOP legislators drew lines in 2023 so skewed for Republicans that many Black voters could not elect their preferred candidates.

“We conclude that the General Assembly did not violate the Constitution or the VRA in its 2023 redistricting,” they wrote in a 181-page order.

The judges convened a trial several months ago hearing testimony for a pair of lawsuits that challenged portions of maps redrawn in 2023. Thursday’s decision focused on five congressional districts: three in the Greensboro region and two in and around Charlotte, as well as three state Senate districts. The judges also upheld the Senate districts.

The plaintiffs argued Republicans split and weakened the Greensboro region’s concentrated Black voting population within multiple U.S. House districts. Then-Rep. Kathy Manning, a Greensboro Democrat, decided not to run again last year because her district shifted to the right. They also cited what they called packing Black voting-age residents into a Charlotte-area congressional district that helped Republican Tim Moore win an adjoining district.

Attorneys for Republican leaders argued that lawfully partisan — and not racial — considerations helped inform decision-making on the 2023 map. They pointed out that no information on the racial makeup of regions were used in drawing the lines. A 2019 U.S. Supreme Court decision essentially neutered legal claims of illegal partisan gerrymandering going forward.

The judges’ order favoring the GOP lawmakers said “the circumstances surrounding the plans’ enactment and the resulting district configurations and composition are consistent with the General Assembly’s non-racial motivations, which included traditional districting criteria, North Carolina law, and partisan performance.”

The ruling can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Spokespeople for Republican legislative attorneys didn’t immediately respond late Thursday to requests for comment. A lawyers group representing the state NAACP and others said it was disappointed with the ruling.

Still at issue are the changes made to the 1st and 3rd Districts that GOP legislators said are designed to create an 11-3 seat majority in 2026. Davis continues a line of Black representatives elected from the 1st District going back more than 30 years. But he won his second term by less than 2 percentage points.

North Carolina is among several states where Trump has pushed for mid-decade map changes ahead of the 2026 elections. This week, a federal court blocked Texas from using a GOP-engineered map.