In 1908, the state of Minnesota constructed a separate school for delinquent girls (the Minnesota Home School for Girls) in Sauk Centre. But it was not until 1920 that a separate prison for adult women opened in the state. Here is a report on testimony from a 1915 legislative hearing on the issue:
On March 4, at a legislative hearing at the State Capitol, Mrs. Isabel Davis Higbee made a plea for establishment of a reformatory for women. She argued in favor of a new institution where women offenders would neither be incarcerated with male inmates nor with teenage girls. At the conclusion of her talk, Mrs. Higbee collapsed and died. On March 10, the legislature passed a bill authorizing establishment of the women's reformatory. At the time, the majority of women law-breakers were found guilty of prostitution and were usually fined and sent home or committed to the workhouse for a short term. Others were sent to the State Prison, the State Reformatory or the girls' school. The superintendent at the reformatory took women inmates into his home or placed them in the local jail. (Corrections Retrospective, MN Department of Corrections, 1999)
When the new Shakopee Correctional Facility opened in 1986, the census was 92 inmates. Today there are close to 600. While there has not been a high profile breakout since the new prison opened, there is ongoing controversy in the community about the issue of fencing. Currently the prison has a hedge separating the prison from the community, but various legislators and law enforcement have tried over the years to have a 10-12 foot perimeter fence constructed, arguing that the types of prisoner have changed and grown increasingly violent. Others in the community argue against the fence and say it's not necessary. The Shakopee prison offers substance abuse treatment, parenting training and mental health treatment.