MINNCOR gets good audit

A number of educational opportunities exist in the state prison system to help those incarcerated prepare to better function on the outside.

One of those received a mostly positive report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor.

“MINNCOR has generally done a good job in achieving high levels of inmate employment and generating enough revenue to cover its costs,” Legislative Auditor James Nobles told the Legislative Audit Commission Feb. 23, the day of the report’s release.

Formed in 1994 when the Corrections Department centralized individual prison industry programs into one statewide business, MINNCOR Industries employed about 16 percent of state inmates in fiscal year 2008, about three times the national average. The self-supporting program is available at six of the state’s nine adult correctional facilities.

MINNCOR had about a $3 million profit in fiscal year 2008, double a decade prior, and has been profitable in four of the last six years. Profits are used to fund a post-release program that helps inmates with things like resume writing, interview skills and provides a list of employers willing to hire an ex-con.

“They do a pretty good job in a pretty difficult setting,” said Jo Vos, the auditor’s office project manager.

The program operates two types of inmate work programs. It operates industries that sell products to state agencies, local governments and others. For example, MINNCOR provides laundry and printing services to public customers, and manufactures its own clothing, furniture, cabinetry and metal products, such as snow plow attachments. It also contracts with private businesses to use inmates and prison space to assemble or manufacture products they sell.

The audit found a handful of concerns.

For example, MINNCOR sometimes uses purchase orders instead of state contracts for its services with private businesses. Although no problems were found, auditors think the risk is too great because a state contract would address issues like liability and data privacy.

Deputy Commissioner Lynn Dingle said the department is updating its policy to expand the issuance of state contracts and the appropriate use of purchase orders; however, it is