DOC to Close 2 Minnesota Prisons to Address Budget Deficit

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ The Minnesota Department of Corrections plans to close two state prisons to address a budget deficit.

The department said Monday it plans to close the state's two smallest correctional facilities, in Togo and Willow River.

Department officials say the closings are necessary because the Legislature adjourned the recent special session without acting on the agency's supplemental budget request.

The Corrections Department faces a budget deficit of about $14 million in the fiscal year ending June 20, 2021.

The two prisons operate the Challenge Incarceration Program, aimed at reducing recidivism. The program will continue to operate at other existing facilities.