Minnesota Correctional Facility – Lino Lakes

A medium-security state prison for men in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, with chemical-dependency, sex-offender, and faith-based programming missions.

Overview

Minnesota Correctional Facility – Lino Lakes (MCF-Lino Lakes) is a state prison for men operated by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. It is in Lino Lakes, in Anoka County, in the northern part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The facility houses men in medium custody, generally custody Levels 1 through 3.

The Minnesota DOC assigns custody level based on factors that include sentence length, time remaining, and conduct, and a person’s custody level can change during incarceration. The custody class and housing assignment held at a given prison affect visiting arrangements, so families confirm the arrangement that applies to the specific person before a first visit.

What Makes MCF-Lino Lakes Different

MCF-Lino Lakes is a medium-security men’s prison with a programming and treatment mission. The facility is known for its treatment and program tracks, which have included chemical-dependency treatment, sex-offender treatment, and a faith-based program. Because programming is a central part of the facility, a person’s housing and daily schedule may be tied to a specific program assignment. Families confirm the details that apply to a particular person, since program placement can affect visiting and contact arrangements.

Visiting

The statewide MN DOC rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at MCF-Lino Lakes. The facility’s own arrangements:

Getting There and Parking

MCF-Lino Lakes is at 7525 Fourth Avenue in Lino Lakes, in Anoka County, in the northern Twin Cities metro area. Lino Lakes is north of St. Paul and is reached by way of Interstate 35E and Interstate 35W and connecting county roads. The nearest large commercial airport is Minneapolis−St. Paul International Airport, to the south.

Parking is on site. Visitors confirm current entry procedures, the visitor-processing location, and what may be brought onto the grounds with the facility before arriving, because electronic devices and personal items are generally not permitted inside the visiting area.

Nearby Services

Lino Lakes and the neighboring north-metro suburbs offer a wide range of lodging, dining, and fuel, with extensive additional options throughout the Twin Cities area to the south. Emergency and hospital medical care is available in the surrounding metro communities. Visitors traveling a long distance generally find the most options for fuel, food, and overnight stays along the Interstate 35 corridor and in the broader Minneapolis−St. Paul area.

Mail

Minnesota does not deliver friends-and-family mail to the prison. Since November 1, 2024, the Minnesota DOC has personal mail processed off-site by a private vendor, TextBehind, which scans or photocopies each item and sends the copies to the facility (electronic delivery to the person’s tablet is also available for a fee). Mail sent directly to a Minnesota prison is returned to the sender.

Address personal mail this way:

First Name / Last Name, and OID number MCF-Lino Lakes, Minnesota (do not abbreviate Minnesota) P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131

Items missing a first and last name or the OID number are rejected, and envelopes without complete information are discarded unopened. Mail between two incarcerated people, pen-pal mail, and photo orders also go to the TextBehind address.

Some mail still goes directly to the facility, not to TextBehind: legal mail; published materials, books, and subscription renewals; business mail from courts, counties, child support, and other government agencies; and vital documents such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, and IDs (TextBehind forwards these to the facility). Legal mail is sent to the facility’s own address, and incarcerated people use the facility address as the return address on outgoing legal mail.

Verify the current mailing rules and the facility’s address before sending anything.

Learn More

• Visiting a Minnesota prison — getting on the approved visitor list, scheduling, and what to expect at the visit.
• Sending mail — how the TextBehind scanning system works and how to address letters, photos, and legal mail.
• Phone & video — ViaPath phone calls and JPay Video Connect video visits.
• Sending money — depositing funds through JPay and where government or corporate checks go.
• Medical care — how health care is provided in Minnesota prisons and how to raise a concern.
• Transfers & intake — where people enter the system (men at MCF-St. Cloud, women at MCF-Shakopee) and how transfers work.