# Minnesota Minnesota does not license correctional officers; the POST Board licenses peace officers only. The Commissioner of Corrections licenses jails and sets their training rules, and accountability runs through facility licenses. Since 2023 the State has barred private prison contracts, made calls free in state facilities, started community supervision reform, required facilities to hand over data for incident reviews, required jails to continue prescribed medications, and split DOC licensing law so that 241.021 now covers jails, lockups, workhouses, and work farms. Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/minnesota ## At a glance - **Certifying body:** None for correctional officers. The POST Board licenses peace officers (Minn. Stat. 626.84 et seq.; see the [Minnesota Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/minnesota)); jail and prison officers are not licensed by it. The Commissioner of Corrections licenses facilities and sets training rules: county jails must train custody staff under Minn. R. ch. 2911, enforced through DOC jail licensing ([Minn. Stat. 241.021](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/241.021)). State prison officers are DOC employees trained by DOC. - **Statute:** Minn. Stat. ch. 241 (Department of Corrections; facility licensing in 241.011 to 241.021 since 2026), 243.52 (discipline and use of force), 243.521 (administrative and disciplinary segregation), 241.88 (restraint of pregnant women), 241.90 (Ombuds for Corrections), ch. 641 (county jails), and chs. 244 and 401 (probation and community supervision). Jail rules: [Minn. R. ch. 2911](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/2911/). - **Minimum standards:** Jail custody staff must be at least 18. Each facility’s recruitment standards must set requirements for age, ability, preparatory experience, physical condition, and character, and must list disqualifying factors ([Minn. R. 2911.0600](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/2911.0600/)). DOC licensing requires background studies. No statewide statutory hiring standard for state prison officers was found. - **Basic training:** Jail custody staff: “120 hours of orientation and training during the first year of employment,” 40 of them before independent assignment to a post. Pre-assignment topics include security, supervision of inmates, suicide risk, vulnerable inmates, response to resistance, report writing, inmate rules and rights, and fire and emergency procedures. Separate medical training covers first aid, CPR, and recognizing mental illness and chemical dependency. Each facility needs a written training plan and a designated training officer ([Minn. R. 2911.1300](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/2911.1300/)). Staff who deal with pregnant incarcerated women must be trained on the restraint statute (Minn. Stat. 241.88, subd. 2). DOC academy hours for state prison officers are set by DOC policy and were not reviewed. - **In-service training:** Jail custody staff: “an additional 16 hours of training each subsequent year,” plus first aid and CPR recertification as required (Minn. R. 2911.1300, 2911.1350). Jail minimum standards must include a staff code of conduct policy with annual training (Minn. Stat. 241.021, subd. 1). - **Decertification:** None for individual officers, because there is no officer license. Accountability runs through facility licensing: the Commissioner may issue correction orders and conditional licenses and may revoke or temporarily suspend a license, all posted publicly. DOC must report yearly on substantiated staff misconduct complaints in state facilities and the resulting discipline (Minn. Stat. 241.021). - **Jail standards:** The Commissioner of Corrections inspects and licenses jails, lockups, workhouses, and work farms; since 2026, community-based and juvenile facilities are licensed under 241.011 to 241.013. Minimum standards must address mental health and substance use screening, suicide prevention, well-being checks, segregation and mental health checks, critical incident debriefings, opioid overdose procedures, medications (including Jarvis orders), a staff code of conduct with annual training, death reviews, and a rights statement. Reviews occur at least every 2 years, with reports posted within 30 days. Deaths must be reported within 24 hours, and uses of force causing substantial bodily harm and other emergency or unusual occurrences within 10 days (Minn. Stat. 241.021; Minn. R. ch. 2911). - **Probation and parole officers:** Adult probation and supervised release agents are employed by DOC, by Community Corrections Act counties, or by county probation officer counties (Minn. Stat. ch. 401; 244.19). There is no individual state certification; county probation officers serve a 6-month probationary period under merit rules (244.19). Since 2023, a 19-member Community Supervision Advisory Committee advises the Commissioner on statewide supervision standards, including training ([Minn. Stat. 401.17](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/401.17)). - **Restrictive housing:** State prisons: disciplinary segregation for rule violations, or administrative segregation for a serious threat; living conditions “approximate to those offenders in general population”; monthly notice to the Commissioner of placements over 30 days, with reasons, and a behavior plan over 120 days; health screening within 24 hours and daily wellness rounds; graduated interventions, step-down, and incentives; no release directly to the community after 60 or more days absent a compelling reason; and annual reporting ([Minn. Stat. 243.521](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/243.521)). Jails: administrative segregation may not take away privileges beyond what is necessary, with documented review and an administrator visit every 7 days (Minn. R. 2911.2800). No hard cap on days. - **Corrections use of force:** Force may not be applied “maliciously or sadistically.” Unless deadly force is justified, a correctional officer in a DOC or DOC-licensed adult facility may not use a choke hold, a prone restraint, a hogtie, or face-down vehicle transport except as medically directed. Deadly force is justified only when an objectively reasonable officer would believe it necessary against a specific, likely, and immediate threat of death or great bodily harm, or to prevent the escape of a person who will cause such harm ([Minn. Stat. 243.52, subd. 2](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/243.52)). Pregnant women may be restrained only on an individualized determination and then with the least restrictive restraint; no waist chains or devices touching the abdomen, and no behind-the-back wrist restraints, during transport; and in labor or within 3 days after birth only for a substantial flight risk or extraordinary circumstances, with no objection from the treating provider (Minn. Stat. 241.88). ## Changes, 2023 to 2026 - Aug 1, 2026 — **All DOC substance use disorder programs, including in juvenile facilities, must meet chapter 245G standards; mental health units expanded** — Laws 2026, c. 84 (H.F. 3769), amending Minn. Stat. 241.021, subd. 4a, and 241.69, subds. 1, 3 to 6 · Signed May 12, 2026; no section date and no appropriation, so effective August 1, 2026 (computed under Minn. Stat. 645.02) — Before the act, only residential substance use disorder treatment programs run by the Commissioner of Corrections for adults had to meet the chapter 245G standards for community-based programs. Now “All substance use disorder treatment programs operated by the commissioner of corrections to treat individuals committed to the commissioner’s custody or to treat juveniles in state-operated juvenile correctional facilities that have a correctional program services certification per Minnesota Rules, chapter 2960, must comply with the standards mandated in chapter 245G.” Under 241.69, the Commissioner must operate a mental health unit in “at least one” adult correctional institution, in place of a single unit; a licensed mental health professional may recommend transfer to a unit for short-term care, “assessment, evaluation, or stabilization”; and an inmate’s refusal to take part in a unit’s treatment program is no longer a ground for starting judicial commitment. — **For corrections staff:** Nonresidential DOC substance use disorder programs, and those in certified state juvenile facilities, are now held to the same chapter 245G standards as community treatment programs. — [Laws 2026, c. 84](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/84/)[Minn. Stat. 241.021](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/241.021) - Jul 1, 2026 — **DOC licensing law split: 241.021 now governs jails, lockups, workhouses, and work farms** — Laws 2026, c. 97 (S.F. 4760), art. 5, enacting Minn. Stat. 241.011 to 241.014, amending 241.021, subds. 1, 1f, 1i, and repealing 241.021, subds. 1g, 1h, 2, 2a, 2b, 3, 6 · Signed May 18, 2026; sections without a stated date take effect July 1, 2026 (computed under Minn. Stat. 645.02, because c. 97, art. 11 amends appropriation items); sec. 8 effective the day after final enactment — Licensing of juvenile and adult community-based residential facilities moves into new sections 241.011 to 241.013, with their own correction-order, conditional-license, and revocation procedures, and state prison security audits move into 241.014. Section 241.021 now defines a correctional facility as a “jail, lockup, workhouse, or work farm under chapter 641, 642, or 643.” The annual report expands to cover all local facilities and license revocations or suspensions. Health care subdivisions are renumbered (for example, 241.021, subd. 4 becomes 241.74, subd. 1). Section 8, on notice of juvenile separation over 7 days, took effect the day after final enactment. — **For corrections staff:** Jail standards and license enforcement now sit in a jail-specific 241.021; update policy citations to the new section numbers. — [Laws 2026, c. 97](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/97/)[Minn. Stat. 645.02](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/645.02) - Jul 1, 2026 — **Jail medication rule revised: prescriptions verified at intake, emergency exception, oral refusal** — Laws 2026, c. 97 (S.F. 4760), art. 4, sec. 1, amending Minn. Stat. 241.021, subd. 4f · Signed May 18, 2026; no section date, so effective July 1, 2026 (computed under Minn. Stat. 645.02) — Licensed facilities must continue a person’s pre-confinement medications once the prescription is verified as current and valid, based on information reasonably available to staff at intake and documented in the medical record. Facilities must make and document a reasonable attempt to verify. A licensed health care professional may decline to continue a medication after making reasonable efforts to consult the prescriber, where the 2025 text required consulting. A medication may be changed to an equally effective one after reasonable attempts to consult the prescriber, without the prescriber’s approval. A new exception covers a documented medical or mental health emergency that requires an immediate change. A person may refuse a medication by informing the health professional or a designee, with the decision documented, instead of giving written notice. — **For corrections staff:** At intake, try to verify each prescription and document the attempt; record any refusal in the medical record. — [Laws 2026, c. 97](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/97/) - Jul 1, 2025 — **Licensed jails must continue prescribed medications and check for Jarvis orders at intake** — Laws 2025, c. 35 (H.F. 2432), art. 5, secs. 6 and 7, amending Minn. Stat. 241.021, subd. 1, and adding subd. 4f · Signed May 23, 2025; no section date, so effective July 1, 2025 (computed under Minn. Stat. 645.02; the act has appropriation items); subd. 4f amended effective July 1, 2026 — Jail minimum standards must include a policy on involuntary medication, “including a process for determining on intake whether a Jarvis Order is in place and ensuring it will be followed.” New subd. 4f requires DOC-licensed facilities to give confined people the same medications prescribed before confinement, unless a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse, after consulting the prescriber, finds a medication not medically appropriate; an equally effective alternative is approved by the prescriber; or the person declines in writing. Laws 2026, c. 97, art. 4, sec. 1 has since amended subd. 4f (entry above). — **For corrections staff:** Booking staff must ask about and record Jarvis orders; for the current medication rules, see the 2026 entry. — [Laws 2025, c. 35](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2025/0/35/)[Minn. Stat. 241.021](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/241.021) - Jul 1, 2024 — **Facilities must hand over all data for DOC reviews of emergencies and unusual occurrences** — Laws 2024, c. 123 (H.F. 5216), art. 8, sec. 2, amending Minn. Stat. 241.021, subd. 1 · Signed May 24, 2024; no section date, so effective July 1, 2024 (computed under Minn. Stat. 645.02; the act has appropriation items) — Notwithstanding chapter 13 or other data restrictions, officers in charge of facilities “must furnish all data available to the facility that the commissioner deems necessary to conduct a review of any emergency or unusual occurrence at the facility.” Failing to provide information or access for inspections or occurrence reviews may be grounds for license action: a correction order, revocation, or suspension. The same article struck “by the correctional officer” from the deadly-force articulation clause in 243.52, subd. 2. — **For corrections staff:** After a use of force, death, or other critical incident, expect DOC to ask for all records, video, and data; refusing can put the facility’s license at risk. — [Laws 2024, c. 123](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2024/0/123/)[Minn. Stat. 241.021](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/241.021) - Jul 1, 2023 — **Free voice calls and protected in-person visits in state facilities** — Laws 2023, c. 52, art. 11, sec. 11, enacting Minn. Stat. 241.252 · Signed May 19, 2023; no section date, so effective July 1, 2023 (computed under Minn. Stat. 645.02; the act has appropriation items) — State adult and juvenile DOC facilities must provide voice communication services free to both caller and recipient, limited only by program participation and routine policy, and must keep at least the services offered as of January 1, 2023. The agency may not take revenue from communications, except commissions under pre-2023 contracts. “Facilities shall maintain in-person visits for incarcerated persons, and communication services must not be used to replace a facility’s in-person visitation program,” except in declared emergencies or disasters. Protection and no-contact orders still apply. — **For corrections staff:** Restrict calls only through program rules and routine policy, and do not use video to replace visiting. — [Laws 2023, c. 52](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/52/)[Minn. Stat. 645.02](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/645.02) - Jul 1, 2023 — **Community supervision reform: advisory committee on statewide probation standards and training** — Laws 2023, c. 52, art. 17, sec. 30, enacting Minn. Stat. 401.17 · Signed May 19, 2023; no section date, so effective July 1, 2023 (computed under Minn. Stat. 645.02) — A 19-member Community Supervision Advisory Committee, which had to meet first by October 1, 2023, recommends statewide supervision standards for Community Corrections Act and other jurisdictions, common validated risk tools, limits on standard conditions, an incentives and sanctions grid, and “a statewide training, coaching, and quality assurance system overseen by an evidence-based practices coordinator.” The Commissioner had to complete a workload study by October 1, 2024 for a capitated funding rate. Article 17 also rewrote community supervision funding (401.10, 244.19). — **For corrections staff:** Probation and supervised release agents should expect statewide standards, assessment tools, and training requirements to come from this committee’s work. — [Minn. Stat. 401.17](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/401.17)[Laws 2023, c. 52](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/52/) - May 20, 2023 — **DOC barred from contracting with private prisons** — Laws 2023, c. 52, art. 11, sec. 17, enacting Minn. Stat. 243.95; also sec. 28, enacting 641.015 · Signed May 19, 2023; effective the day following final enactment — “The commissioner may not contract with privately owned and operated prisons for the care, custody, and rehabilitation of inmates committed to the custody of the commissioner.” Section 28 separately bars placement in private prisons under the county jail chapter. Contracts with private halfway houses, group homes, work release, and treatment facilities for released people remain allowed. — **For corrections staff:** People committed to the Commissioner stay in publicly run facilities; their custody cannot be contracted out to private prisons. — [Laws 2023, c. 52](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/52/)[Minn. Stat. 243.95](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/243.95) ## Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass No enacted corrections change awaiting its effective date was found. Failed or pending 2023 to 2026 bills, for example on restrictive housing or correctional officer licensing, were not searched. Several entries are dated under Minn. Stat. 645.02, which makes an act with appropriation items take effect July 1 after final enactment unless the act says otherwise. Those dates are computed; no section-specific effective date was found in the session law text. ## Checked and unchanged - Minn. Stat. 243.52 (use of force) apart from the 2024 wording change, 243.521 (segregation), 241.88 (pregnant women), and 244.19: checked against the posted text; no other 2023 to 2026 change credited. - Minn. R. 2911.0600, 2911.1300 (120, 40, and 16 hours), and 2911.2800 (7-day review and visit): checked; no change found. - Not counted: Laws 2023, c. 61, art. 5, sec. 2 added opioid overdose emergency procedures to jail minimum standards; its effective date was not confirmed. - Not verified: DOC academy length and annual training hours for state prison officers, which are set by DOC policy.