This video provides information about Minnesota's community notification process. For other information about level 3 offenders, click here.

Susan Suemnick-Brueggemeier, who supervises an adult felony caseload in McLeod County, has been named the Department of Corrections 2010 Agent of the Year. Her ability to effectively collaborate with community members and correctional professionals has been an asset to the department, offenders, and her community. For more information, click here.

   The Agent of the Year award is presented annually in conjunction with Probation and Parole Week, this year July 18-24.

State and county Sentencing to Service (STS) crews immediately dispatched throughout Minnesota after tornados struck on June 17. Crews from the districts of Mankato, Albert Lea, Detroit Lakes and Grand Rapids cleared trees and debris from Freeborn, Faribault and Wadena counties. STS is a sentencing alternative that puts carefully selected offenders to work on community service projects.

The Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Faribault Workforce Development Group and Lieutenant Kris Titus, MCF-Red Wing, were recently awarded  the department’s Prism Awards. The awards recognize an employee and group of employees who go above and beyond the scope of their job duties to promote diversity. More information about this year’s recipients can be found in the June issue of Hotline.

In May, the Restorative Justice Committee at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Faribault made donations to Minnesota Safe & Sober Drivers and Parents of Murdered Children. Each organization received $2,500. The funds were collected through offender fundraising efforts at the facility. All of the money was donated by offenders; no facility funds were used.

Department of Corrections (DOC) Fugitive Investigator Dave Schiebel, along with officers from the Hastings Police Department and Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, was presented the Medal of Honor by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association in April. Those recognized were part of the apprehension in December 2009 of an armed DOC fugitive who absconded from community supervision in a stolen vehicle. Despite the dangerous situation, officers were able to arrest the offender without serious officer or citizen injury. The Medal of Honor is presented for bravery, intelligence, and self-sacrifice. The deed for which the award is given must include a voluntary course of action involving the risk of life.

On Monday, April 5, Lieutenant Elizabeth Guevara accepted a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Bayport on behalf of the Department of Corrections. During the weekend of March 20, offenders in the minimum-security unit at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater filled sandbags for the city while another group of supervised minimum-security offenders assisted in building a levy in the downtown area. Bayport Police Chief Laura Eastman presented the award, which recognized the “teamwork and effort displayed by all.”

   Offenders assisted with flood mitigation efforts across Minnesota this spring. Sentencing to Service (STS) crews and crew leaders spent more than 1,900 hours on flood projects in March. STS crews worked in areas such as Bemidji, Moorhead, Montevideo, Delano, Maynard, and Inver Grove Heights. Institution/Community Work Crews also provided more than 250 hours of sandbagging assistance.

A Fulbright Fellow from Northern Ireland is visiting the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC). Tom McGonigle, an inspector with Criminal Justice Inspection (CJI), is spending February and March at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute. As part of the program, he is learning about the Minnesota criminal justice, civil commitment, and correctional systems, with an emphasis of how higher-risk offenders are handled within institutions and the community. McGonigle has visited several DOC facilities, observed revocation and discipline hearings, and met with transitions employees at the DOC and in the community. His experiences will help bring a wider international perspective on corrections practices and oversight to CJI.

In March, 2010 census forms will be delivered to Minnesota residents. The form includes 10 short questions such as name, age, date of birth, race, and household relationship. If the completed form is not mailed back, a census taker may follow up with the household. The census bureau will work with the DOC to count inmates in Minnesota state prisons. Inmates are counted as part of the community where they are incarcerated, not by their home communities. The census, which is required by the U.S. Constitution, has been taken every 10 years since 1790. The information gathered is used to determine representation in the U.S. Congress and allocate federal and state funding. More information about the census can be found at www.mn2010census.org. 

Corrections Commissioner Joan Fabian has appointed Becky Dooley to serve as warden of the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Willow River/Moose Lake, effective January 5, 2010. To read the news release, click here.     

The Department of Corrections (DOC) is committed to preserving the state’s natural assets as well as protecting citizen health and safety. An Environmental “Green” Initiatives Backgrounder has been created to highlight the department’s efforts in recycling, waste reduction, resource conservation, and regulatory compliance. For example, over a two-year period, green initiatives have helped reduce garbage at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City by 30.6 percent. More information is available in the new backgrounder.