Your Rights to Access Government Data

The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (Chapter 13) gives you the right to see and have copies of any public data that we keep. The law also controls how we keep government data and what we tell you when you ask to see data we maintain.

The following list is a summary of rights you have under the Data Practices Act. For a complete list of your rights, please consult the Data Practices Act or contact Randy Hartnett who is the Department of Corrections data practice compliance official at (651) 361-7178 or email at rhartnett@co.doc.state.mn.us

You have the right to view all public data that we keep.  
You can request and receive public information over the phone, in person, through the mail, or via e-mail. To look at public data that we keep, contact our records department during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) at (651) 361-7330 or e-mail your request to corecords@co.doc.state.mn.us  .

In your request, you should say that you are making a data practices request. You should also tell us as clearly as you can what information you want to see. If we are not sure what information you are requesting, we will ask for further information, but you don’t have to tell us who you are or explain why you are asking for the data.

Once you make your request, we will let you know as soon as possible whether we have the data. If we have the public data, we will let you see or have copies of the data in a timely manner. If we need more time to identify, find or copy the data you are requesting, we will inform you of when the data will be available to you.

We cannot charge you a fee for looking at public data.  
You have the right to look at public data free of charge. You can look at public information on our website, in our records office, or we can e-mail you a response. We can not charge you a fee for separating public data from data that is not public.

You have the right to have public data explained to you in a way so that you can understand what the data means.
If you have questions about the meaning of public data that we keep, please contact the records office by phone at (651) 361-7330 or email at corecords@co.doc.state.mn.us .

You have the right to have copies of the public data that we keep.
You have the right to a copy of any public data. This includes the right to have copies made of all or parts of a document, file, or database that we maintain. We will try to provide your request to you in the format in which you requested it. However, we are not required to provide data in a format we don’t maintain it in.

Once we have your request, we will provide the copies you requested as soon as reasonably possible.

We have the right to charge you a reasonable fee for providing copies.
We will charge you a fee for making copies of data you requested. If you ask that data be mailed or faxed to you, the fee will include postage or long distance phone charges. Currently, our fee for providing copies is $0.25 per page.

You have the right to see and have copies of summary data.
Summary data is statistical records or reports that are prepared by removing all identifiers from private or confidential data on individuals.  Summary data requests should be made in writing to Randy Hartnett at 1450 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108-5219. A fee will be charged to prepare the data.

You have the right to know why you can’t see or get copies of non-public data.
If the information you request is not public, we will tell you that when you make your request or will notify you in writing as soon as possible. We will also tell you which specific law makes the information not public. If you ask, we will put this in writing for you. 

If you have questions about how to access public data that we keep, please contact Randy Hartnett who is the Department of Corrections data practices compliance official, at 1450 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108-5219 or via e-mail at rhartnett@co.doc.state.mn.us.