Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake Overview
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake is operated by the Minnesota Department of Corrections at 1000 Lakeshore Drive in Moose Lake. The official DOC facility page lists custody level as Level 3 Medium, gives the facility phone as 218-485-5000, and names Kris Rish as warden in the research file. The facility is a state prison for sentenced adult men, not a Carlton County Sheriff's Office jail.
This distinction controls every lookup path. Carlton County Jail's PDF roster covers people in local custody after arrest, before trial, serving local sentences, or held on county and agency holds. MCF-Moose Lake holds adults committed to the Minnesota Commissioner of Corrections after sentencing. Once a Carlton County defendant is transferred to DOC custody, the county jail roster may stop showing the person and the Minnesota DOC Locator becomes the correct public search tool.
The state-prison page should not be used for bail, bond appointments, county visiting hours, or county commissary deposits. Those are Carlton County Jail topics. MCF-Moose Lake uses DOC systems for prisoner records, family contact, release notification, supervision status, and facility-specific visiting and mail instructions.
The official DOC MCF-Moose Lake facility page is the subject-matched source for address, custody level, warden, and the profile report link.
The facility page is the starting point for prison-specific updates, while person-level search still belongs in the statewide DOC Locator.
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake Capacity and Population
The Daily Inmate Profile Report located during research in June 2026 reported 1,039 adult offenders currently on-site at MCF-Moose Lake. The research did not locate a rated capacity figure on the facility page, so this page does not invent one. The 1,039 figure is a state prison population count and must not be combined with Carlton County Jail's 96 approved jail beds or MSOP Moose Lake's civil-commitment licensed beds.
The research summary says the profile report includes offense categories and active sentence data, with categories such as homicide, criminal sexual conduct, assault, robbery, weapons, and DWI. That report is aggregate facility data. It does not replace a person-level DOC Locator search and does not prove that a specific prisoner is at Moose Lake without a matching locator result or DOC confirmation.
How to Look Up an Inmate at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake
Search sentenced prisoners through the Minnesota DOC Locator, not through the Carlton County Jail Roster. The locator retrieves public information about adults committed to the Commissioner of Corrections and people still under DOC jurisdiction, including some individuals released from prison but still on supervision. The locator also warns that newly sentenced individuals may take several business days to appear.
- Open the Minnesota DOC Locator and choose either name search or MNDOC Offender ID search.
- For a name search, enter the first or last name. The research notes that the locator uses beginning-of-name matching and may include aliases or old names.
- For an ID search, enter the complete six-digit MNDOC Offender ID. Partial ID searches are not accepted.
- Open the matching result and confirm whether the person is listed at MCF-Moose Lake, another prison, or under DOC supervision outside prison.
If the search problem is actually a Carlton County arrest rather than a prison sentence, use the county's Jail Roster page, the county Jail Information page, or the Carlton County Data Request page instead. Those county links are useful for local jail custody, intake delays, and public-data requests, but they do not search the sentenced prison population at MCF-Moose Lake.
If the person was arrested in Carlton County but has not been sentenced to prison, the county PDF roster and jail phone remain the better first steps. If the person is federally sentenced, use the BOP locator. If the person is civilly committed to MSOP, do not expect a normal jail roster or prison bail path.
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake Address and Contact
Use DOC facility contact information for prison-specific questions about a person who is already under DOC jurisdiction. County jail staff generally cannot confirm DOC housing, DOC visiting approval, prison mail rules, or state-prison release calculations after transfer.
Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake
1000 Lakeshore Drive
Moose Lake, MN 55767
218-485-5000
MCF-Willow-River-Moose-Lake.doc@state.mn.us
Minnesota Department of Corrections
Statewide DOC Locator
Adults committed to the Commissioner of Corrections
Use for sentenced prison custody and DOC supervision records.
Visiting Someone at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake
MCF-Moose Lake visiting is a DOC prison process, not the Carlton County Jail's Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday non-contact schedule. The research file did not capture a facility-specific visiting timetable for MCF-Moose Lake, so the accurate approach is to confirm current DOC visiting approval, scheduling, identification, dress, and security rules through the DOC facility page or by calling 218-485-5000 before traveling.
| Topic | MCF-Moose Lake Prison Rule Path | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Approval | Use DOC visitor approval and facility instructions. | Prison visitors generally need approval before scheduling. |
| Scheduling | Confirm with the facility page or prison contact line. | Published times can change for lockdowns, holidays, staffing, or weather. |
| Identification | Bring valid identification and follow DOC entry screening. | County jail visitor rules are not the controlling rules here. |
| Notifications | Use Minnesota Haven or VINELink where applicable. | Notification tools can help track custody or release status. |
Mail, Phone, and Money at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake
MCF-Moose Lake mail, phone, and money are DOC prison matters. Do not use Carlton County Jail's Reliance phone setup, JailATM deposit instructions, Stellar lobby kiosk fees, or county mail format for a DOC prisoner unless DOC specifically directs it. Those county rules apply to local jail inmates at 1780 Justice Drive, not to a sentenced prisoner at 1000 Lakeshore Drive.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail Address | Use current DOC facility mail instructions for MCF-Moose Lake and include the prisoner's DOC identifying information when required. |
| Phone / Video | Use DOC-approved prison communication systems, not Carlton County Jail's Reliance account. |
| Money Deposit | Use DOC-approved deposit instructions for state prisoners; the county JailATM and lobby kiosk rules are not for MCF-Moose Lake. |
| Release Notification | Use Minnesota Haven or VINELink where the person or facility participates. |
When the research source does not provide a current vendor, fee, or schedule, the safe content choice is to route families to DOC's current instructions instead of publishing guessed vendor names. Prison communication contracts and mail-screening procedures can change, while the DOC facility page and locator remain the official path.
Commitment and Classification at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake
State prison admission is not the same as county jail booking after a street arrest. A Carlton County defendant normally starts in local custody if held after arrest. After conviction and a prison sentence, the court judgment commits the person to the Minnesota Commissioner of Corrections. DOC then receives, classifies, and assigns the person to a facility such as MCF-Moose Lake if appropriate. During that transition, the county roster may no longer show the person and the DOC Locator may take several business days to display the new record.
The DOC Locator can show people in prison and people released from prison but still under DOC jurisdiction. That is why a search result may not always mean the person is physically at MCF-Moose Lake. Confirm the location field and current status in the locator result, then contact DOC if travel, visiting, or official verification depends on the result.
About Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake
MCF-Moose Lake is part of Carlton County's correctional footprint, but it serves a statewide sentenced population. Its presence in the county can confuse inmate searches because "Moose Lake" can refer to a DOC prison or the Minnesota Sex Offender Program campus. The DOC prison is for sentenced adult men committed to corrections custody. MSOP is a civil-commitment treatment program. Carlton County Jail is a local jail for pretrial and local custody.
Recent research located a June 2026 DOC profile report showing 1,039 adult offenders on-site at MCF-Moose Lake. That number is separate from Carlton County Jail crowding or capacity. The state prison's population should be discussed as a DOC count, not as the Carlton County jail population.
Note: Verify current DOC location, visiting approval, and prison mail rules with MCF-Moose Lake before making travel or deposit plans.