Minnesota prison temporarily locked down after 40 inmates refuse to go back to their cells

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About 40 men at Oak Park Heights prison refused to return to their cells on Thursday before staff resolved the situation without injuries.

According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), the men refused staff instructions to return to their cells after an escalating dispute between several men. When the group refused to cooperate, they became aggressive, and prison staff then withdrew.

At the same time, facility leaders activated additional resources and developed a plan to resolve the situation, which included other units in Oak Park Heights being placed on lockdown as a precaution.

A crisis negotiation team and other special operations teams were also activated. Then DOC officials said that facility staff and negotiators began communicating with the “leaders” of the resistant group.