While state officials said the move to close the facility addresses longstanding concerns of safety with the prison’s conditions and saves the state more than $40 million annually, union leaders

The Stillwater prison has had a long life, but after 111 years the facility housing adult males has served its time. The decision to close the prison by mid-2029 was reached as part of a budget deal between the Minnesota Legislature and Gov.

The facility houses 1,100 inmates and employs roughly 560 people, but the operational costs of the 111-year-old building have become "untenable," Gov. Tim Walz said.