An emergency lockdown has been imposed on a prison in the state of Minnesota in the United States, as approximately 100 inmates have refused to return to their cells. On Sunday, a crisis negotiation team was dispatched to the Stillwater correctional facility.

According to a spokesperson from the state's Department of Corrections (DOC), the exact reasons for this incident remain unclear. However, advocates suggest that it is a protest against the prison's living conditions, including extreme heat, limited access to showers and ice, and contaminated drinking water. This event unfolded within one of the facility's housing units.

To address the situation, additional police units, firefighters, and other emergency response teams have been positioned outside the facility, which is located in Baywater, approximately 25 miles (40 km) east of Minneapolis, the state's largest city.

Furthermore, a heat advisory from the US National Weather Service is in effect for the region until Tuesday, with warnings of temperatures potentially soaring to 100°F (37.7°C). These sweltering conditions have brought renewed attention to the conditions in US prisons and sparked calls for reform.

Inmates have reportedly been on intermittent lockdowns since Friday because of staffing issues, meaning they are kept in their cells which reportedly do not have air conditioning.

AFSCME Council 5, the union which represents Minnesota correctional officers, said that understaffing was to blame for Sunday's incident.

A spokesperson said the incident was "endemic and highlights the truth behind the operations of the MN Department of Corrections with chronic understaffing".

Such conditions upset inmates because of restrictions placed on program and recreation time "when there are not enough security staff to protect the facility", they added.

The DOC says that two correctional officers are safe in the unit's secure control area. All DOC staff have been removed from the common areas of the unit currently occupied by prisoners.

The special operations response team had been deployed "out of an abundance of caution", a spokesperson said. adding the situation was "currently stable".

In total, about 1,200 inmates are incarcerated at the facility, according to department records.

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