Duluth Federal Prison Camp workers seek allies in push to save jobs, facility

Employees of the Duluth Federal Prison Camp are hoping to reverse what many view as a death sentence for the facility.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced Dec. 5 its plans to “deactivate” the facility within nine months, transferring its 736 inmates to other prisons and offering its 89 local employees an opportunity to relocate to other jobs elsewhere within the system.

Tanya Gajeski, a reentry affairs coordinator for the prison camp, said a “deactivation” is simply code for a closure.

“I have no illusions that if we are deactivated — and all our inmates and staff are gone — that we would ever be reactivated,” she said.

As president of American Federation of Government Employees Union Local 3935, Gajeski and her colleagues have been working fiercely to rally support for their efforts to stave off any closure of the Duluth Federal Prison Camp — admittedly an odd official name for a facility located in neighboring Hermantown.

The prison camp makes use of structures that were formerly home to a long-idled U.S. Air Force base in the community. The FBOP noted the dilapidated condition of the Duluth facility, citing “several condemned buildings that have contaminants such as asbestos and lead paint.”

Nevertheless, Local 3935 efforts have already garnered the support of congressional leadership from the area. In response to a query by the Duluth News Tribune on Monday, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar responded: “I think this decision should be reversed.”

Klobuchar said she has spoken to the head of the Federal Bureau of Prisons regarding the situation and informed her of her opposition.

“I will continue to work with the next administration to ensure the best future for the workers and the community,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber sent a letter to Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters also asking for a reevaluation of the facility.

In a statement, Stauber referred to the decision to close the prison camp as “misguided.”

“The motives behind this decision do not appear to be reasonable or sound, and I am disappointed by the way the announcement was rolled out,” he wrote.

“To inform the employees they would be out of the job through an impersonal letter right before Christmas is far too insensitive,” Stauber went on to say, adding that he, too, would ask the Trump administration to reconsider the decision.

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said she’s actively seeking an alternative outcome as well.

“We are still gathering the facts about this decision and I’ve contacted the Bureau of Prisons to get some answers,” she responded in an email to the News Tribune. “I’m not sold on their rationale for closing, nor their decision-making process.

“I’m going to keep pushing for answers, especially for the workers who could lose their jobs,” she said.

A federal news release said: “The FBOP is not downsizing and we are committed to finding positions for every employee who wants to remain with the agency.”

While there is an opportunity for some employees from the Duluth camp to relocate to another prison facility in Sandstone, Gajeski said that operation has maybe 15 positions available, meaning that 74 employees would likely need to consider taking more distant jobs to remain with the Bureau of Prisons.

Even commuting to Sandstone would prove a hardship for many employees of the Duluth Federal Prison Camp, according to Gajeski, who noted that adding a 90-minute drive before and after work could cause parents to miss out on their children’s activities or could greatly complicate child care arrangements.

Still, other employees who are unable to land jobs in Sandstone could be forced to relocate to more distant locations, potentially uprooting families. Gajeski said many workers, herself included, are only years away from reaching 20 years of service with the federal bureau and could lose highly valued pension benefits as the result of a premature departure.

In Gajeski’s eyes, the closure of the prison camp also would be a disservice to inmates and society. She said the minimum-security all-male facility provides a useful bridge as prisoners prepare for release and their transition to productive civilian life.

At the camp, inmates can earn the equivalent of a high school degree; receive training in carpentry, welding or auto body repair; learn how to conduct an effective job search; and resolve addiction issues that could otherwise sabotage their success.

The Duluth facility is one of just seven remaining similar prison camps in the nation, and Gajeski suggested it would be shortsighted to phase them out.

“If the bureau is trying to focus on successful inmate re-entry and reducing recidivism, it doesn’t make sense,” she said.

Prison camp inmates contribute to the community in myriad manners that often go unnoticed. They provide labor for public projects, and Nathan Bentley, the founder and namesake of the Bentleyville Festival of Lights, said a crew of four to six inmates work daily for about eight months of the year to help build light displays, stock needed supplies and staff an attraction that annually draws about 300,000 people to Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park.

The inmates’ efforts are crucial to the success of the event. But Bentley also views it as a two-way street, “because we help them get reconnected to society.”

He said that at least one inmate has continued as a volunteer even after his release.

Gajeski said she remains cautiously optimistic that community support may yet sway federal officials to change their view regarding the future of the Duluth Federal Prison Camp.

“It can seem a little overwhelming,” she acknowledged. “But we won’t give up easily.”