Minnesota advocates push for medical release of terminally ill prisoners

Scott Knutson, 61, is terminally ill and incarcerated at a state prison in Faribault for a nonviolent crime. He uses a wheelchair, rarely leaves his cell and suffers from multiple serious medical conditions affecting his breathing and kidneys.

Knutson has been hospitalized repeatedly. His anticipated prison release date is March 2029, but Machelle Frisbie, an advocate for Knutson, said she does not believe he will live that long.

Medical staff both inside and outside the state prison have recommended that Knutson be granted medical release.

“But then the commissioner, for whatever reason, decided not to let him out,” Frisbie said.

Knutson’s case was among several highlighted Wednesday at a press conference organized by the Minnesota Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee and advocates for incarcerated people. They said families are “begging” for their loved ones to be allowed to return home before they die.

Advocates discussed four incarcerated people whose medical conditions prompted healthcare providers to recommend medical release. In two of these cases, the Department of Corrections commissioner approved the releases, but the individuals have remained incarcerated for months and even years afterward.

Release approved, but still in prison

Starr Hein advocates for Michelle Koester, a terminally ill woman incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee. Koester requires specialized medical care and personal care attendants. Her mobility is severely limited, and she suffers from late-stage heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She also requires oxygen and treatment for skin sores.

Koester’s physicians recommended her for medical release three years before the DOC ultimately approved it. But approval did not mean she could immediately leave prison.

“There’s no statute or administrative policy outlining the time frame for medical release once it’s been granted,” Hein said. “That means Michelle can be held indefinitely at Shakopee Women’s Prison pending placement.”

Hein added that Koester has been waiting for placement since November 2025.

“She was granted release because she has exceptional needs that the DOC cannot provide, and she’s physically too frail to be a public threat,” Hein said.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections said it follows statutory requirements governing conditional medical release and acknowledged that complex circumstances can sometimes prevent an immediate release even after one has been authorized.

“There have also been instances where advocates and others have identified cases that appeared to meet the statutory elements for conditional release consideration, but factors unknown to them informed the ultimate denial of conditional medical release,” Shannon Loehrke, the DOC’s director of communications, said in a statement.

A high bar for release

Under Minnesota law, the DOC commissioner can grant conditional medical release to an incarcerated person with a severe, terminal or incapacitating medical condition who does not pose a threat to public safety.

Similar medical or compassionate-release laws exist in nearly every state. The programs are intended to provide a pathway out of prison for people who are seriously or terminally ill.

But advocates and researchers say qualifying for release can be difficult.

The Prison Policy Initiative has described medical parole as setting “an extremely high bar for applicants,” with a lengthy and complicated application and hearing process. As a result, many applicants remain incarcerated while their cases are pending, and some die before a decision is reached.

Minnesota’s prison system has also seen a significant number of deaths and medical transports. A 2025 Minnesota Department of Corrections Health and Safety in Correctional Facilities Legislative Report found that 59 people died in Minnesota prisons over the previous five years. The report also recorded over 7,000 medical transports last year.

A 2025 article in the Minnesota Journal of Law argued that compassionate release can serve as both a public safety measure and sound fiscal policy, describing it as “a safe and responsible alternative to the continued incarceration of the elderly and infirm.” The article estimated that state governments could save $66,294 annually for each aging prisoner released through compassionate release.

‘They want to keep him there until he dies’

For Knutson, advocates say time is running out.

Frisbie said Knutson has stopped contacting her because he rarely leaves his cell. His repeated hospitalizations and serious medical conditions have made his life in prison increasingly difficult, she added.

“He’s so sick,” Frisbie said. “The commissioner, for whatever reason, decided not to let him out and refused to give an explanation as to why. They want to keep him there until he dies. And I think that anything that we can do to help get Scott out would be great.”

MPR News politics fellow Cait Kelley contributed to this report.

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