Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud

MCF-St. Cloud is a Level IV state prison and the admitting facility for male inmates in the state of Minnesota. It was opened in 1889 and was originally known as the Minnesota State Reformatory for Men, which was designed to rehabilitate first time offenders between the ages of 16 - 30, through industrial work-programming activity. 

The site was chosen to utilize the quarrying of granite for the construction of the facility, and it was largely built with inmate labor. While the facility no longer has the extensive industrial programming it once had as a Reformatory, it has the distinction of having the only Masonry and Barber programs in the Minnesota DOC. MCF-St. Cloud also has the distinction of having the first female warden (the late Patt Adair) appointed to a male adult facility.

The most unique part of the facility is its iconic granite wall. Completed in 1922, the wall is considered the second largest continuous wall made from inmate labor. The first is the Great Wall of China.

As the intake facility for the Minnesota DOC, the vast majority of inmates are assessed and classified and transferred to other DOC adult male facilities. It also has two chemical dependency programs and offers adult basic and general education programming.

After being sentenced by the court, offenders are transported to MCF-St. Cloud to be processed into the system and then evaluated. In the evaluation process, the DOC will determine the following:

  • Inmates receive medical, dental, mental health, and substance use disorder screen/assessments. All areas of service are provided for inmates according to their individual needs.
  • Health Services provides a variety of services to provide a continuity of care for inmates, including: physician, nurse practitioner(s), eye doctor, physical therapy, and dentist.
  • The primary goal is to maintain an inmate's health while in a correctional facility.
  • Contracted utilization review services provided by Centurion, with specialist consult appointments scheduled as needed to manage an inmate's medical needs.
  • Medical care that exceeds the abilities provided at MCF-St. Cloud are transferred to the appropriate health care facility, either within or outside of the MN DOC system
  • After the evaluation is complete, the inmate will be sent to the facility that can best meet their custody level and programming needs. However, in some cases, inmates will remain at St. Cloud. 

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Visiting Hours and Rules

The visiting hours at Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud are as follows:

General population

Thursday and Friday

3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Visitors must be registered by 8:30 p.m. The registration/information desk is closed from 6:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. You may visit 1 or 2 hours during the week.

Saturday and Sunday:

8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and

12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors must be registered by 10:30 a.m. and by 3 p.m. All visits are one hour on the weekends. There is NO VISITING from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Please note: If you register for a visit after 2:30 p.m. on the weekends, the start of your visit could be delayed due to the 3 p.m. facility count when all offender movement stops. This could result in a visit less than one hour in length.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday:

No visiting

Holidays (see below):

No visiting

 

Restrictive housing population

Thursday and Friday

2 - 3 p.m.

Registration for restrictive housing visits is from 1:50 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. No visit is allowed during the first 24 hours in restrictive housing. No visits if on Phase 1, Restrictive, or High level Control status. All visits are non-contact only. Advance appointments are required. Call (320) 240-3000 and ask for information desk (ext. 5504).

Visiting Staff Contact: 320-240-3000, ext. 5504. Please call during visiting hours.

Visiting Regulations: Please read the Inmate Visiting Information prior to visits.

There is no visiting on the following State recognized holidays:

  • New Year's Day
  • President's Day
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
  • Memorial Day
  • July 4 (Independence Day)
  • Labor Day
  • Veterans Day
  • Thanksgiving and the following Friday
  • Christmas Day

Visiting Applications

You can find Visiting Application Forms in English and Spanish by clicking here. You will need to print off the application and mail it to:

MCF-Rush City
Attn: Visiting Unit
7600 525th Street
Rush City, MN 55069

If you have questions about the visiting applications, please contact the Rush City Visiting Unit at 320-358-0400.

General Visiting Rules

As the Intake Center for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, inmates on intake status at St. Cloud may only have two adult visitors on their visiting list.

The restroom areas are off limits to both inmates and their visitors during the course of the visit. Restrooms are available in the lobby. If you leave the visiting room for any reason, the visit is considered terminated.

Visits are limited to one visit with the same offender per visitor per day.

Personal Property Rules in the Visiting Room

Visitors are not allowed to bring any items in or out of the visiting room without staff approval. 

If you attempt to bring contraband into a facility or its grounds, it is an offense punishable by law. The exchange of any item in the visiting room, without prior approval, may be treated as a smuggling offense. 

Dress Code

Conservative clothing is required for all ages. Clothing must cover the upper body to include shoulders, upper and lower back, midriff and cleavage. Visiting staff have the authority to refuse admission to anyone whose attire violates the visiting dress code. 

Additional guidelines include, but are not limited to: 

  • See-through clothing, sheer fabric material, sleeveless clothing, and clothing with holes or lace that would expose any part of skin is prohibited. 
  • Tight or form fitting clothing that is revealing is prohibited. 
  • All pants, jeans or slacks must be worn at waist level. 
  • Undergarments must be worn at all times and must prevent from revealing anatomy. Underwire bras containing metal are not allowed. 
  • All skirts and dresses must cover the knee when seated. 
  • All shorts must cover no less than mid-thigh when seated. 
  • No hooded garments are allowed inside the visiting room. 
  • No hats, scarves, bandanas, or headgear of any kind. Religious headgear must not interfere with verification of identity and is subject to search. 
  • All blazers, suit jackets, and sweaters must be removed and will be searched prior to coming in.
  • No outdoor jackets, vests, or coats (this includes ponchos, shawls and jean jackets). 
  • Footwear must not present a security or safety concern. Boot height must not exceed midcalf. No sunglasses of any kind are allowed. 
  • All clothing must pass metal detection.

Video Visitation

Video visitation is available at MCF - St. Cloud. To participate in a video visit with an offender, you must be on their approved visitors list. 

To schedule a video visit, go to www.Jpay.com. If the visitor has not already done so, he or she will have to establish an account with JPay. Video visits are 30 minutes long and cost $9.95.

Video visiting scheduling is unique to each facility and each living unit. The JPay website is set up so you can only schedule a visit when the kiosk is available in the offender's living unit.

All video visits are recorded and subject to monitoring. 

Joining a video visitation
Scheduling a video visitation
Testing a webcam for a video visitation
Troubleshooting video visitations
Video visitation FAQs
Video Visitation Rules

Physical Address

Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud
2305 Minnesota Blvd
St. Cloud, MN 56304

Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/woMngk2ZJVPhd9mk6

General Phone Number

​320-240-3000

Inmate Mailing Address(es)

Inmate Name and DOC Number
Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud
2305 Minnesota Blvd
St. Cloud, MN 56304

Officers review all incoming mail for the presence of contraband. All correspondence must include the offender's commitment or department recognized legal name and Offender Identification (OID) number.

Incoming mail may include: paper with words/drawings; photographs (Polaroid photos must have the backing removed); periodicals and published materials shipped from the publisher; and clippings or photocopies of published materials that meet criteria. 

Signed commercial greeting cards and postcards are allowed, however cards that play music or have electronically recorded material on them are prohibited.

Incoming mail is limited to 16 ounces per item. A maximum of 20 photographs are allowed per envelope. Polaroid photographs must have the backing removed.

Email

You can send an email to an offender through JPay. Before you can send an email you must set up an account, and you will need the inmate's ID number.

Videogram

Videograms are 30-second videos that you can record and send to an inmate. Visit www.jpay.com for more information on how you can send videograms.

Videograms are reviewed by JPay employees to ensure they meet MN DOC criteria before they are delivered to the inmate. Click here to view the videogram rules. If your videogram is rejected, you will not receive a refund.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at the Minnesota Corrections Facility - St. Cloud, but they do have access to phones and are allowed to make monitored outgoing calls during approved hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Minnesota, please click here.

How to Send Money

The Minnesota Department of Corrections uses JPAY and MoneyGram for inmate money services. 

How to send money:

  • JPAY Website
  • MoneyGram locations (including CVS and Walmart). Receive Code is 1279.
  • Money Orders and cashier's checks mailed to the lockbox – no charge, however must be mailed with a money order deposit form. Payable to Jpay: PO Box 246450, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024
  • Click the links below to download the money order deposit form.
  • English Version Form Here
  • Spanish Version Form Here

Programs For Inmates

The programming at MCF - St. Cloud is limited because the majority of inmates are on intake status. Once they complete processing, the inmates are transferred to their permanent facility.

Vocational programs at MCF - St. Cloud include a masonry program and a barbering school.  Inmates can also take adult basic education and GED classes.

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Careers at Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud

If you are interested in a career with the Minnesota Department of Corrections at the Minnesota Corrections Facility - St. Cloud, you can find job listings by clicking here

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