The facility houses 1,100 inmates and employs roughly 560 people, but the operational costs of the 111-year-old building have become "untenable," Gov. Tim Walz said.

The closure of Minnesota's second largest prison will take place over the next four years, which follows a budget agreement being reached between Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature. The Minnesota Department of Corrections said in a brief press statement that it will "consolidate the state’s prison facilities to enhance the DOC’s economic efficiency,

Staff and inmates have long complained the 111-year-old prison is outdated, but it plays a critical role in the prison ecosystem as Minnesota’s largest close-security facility.