The “career navigator” was hired this past January and is part of a new directive to give offenders more opportunities to succeed in their careers after prison.

MOOSE LAKE, Minn. — When you look beyond the walls, the barbed wires, and doors, Moose Lake Prison starts to look like something else.

Between the dining hall, baseball fields and classrooms, it feels more like a school at times, and that’s the point.



In recent years, Minnesota corrections officials have taken a new approach to prisons.

No longer are they seen as places to lock away bad people and throw away the key, instead, they’re now viewed as places of education, where inmates can learn a new way of life.

“We want them to leave prepared for the realities of life outside these walls,” Assistant Corrections Commissioner Nate Knutson says.

The title of assistant corrections commissioner is new for Knutson.

For years he served as the warden at Moose Lake Prison.

He’s seen firsthand how hard it is for offenders to make it on the outside.

“A lot of them come back to prison after they leave,” Knutson says. “That happens and it’s disappointing.”

The problem isn’t unique to Moose Lake, or even Minnesota for that matter.

The National Institute of Justice says 68% of prison inmates are arrested within three years of getting out.

It’s one of many reasons why the inmate population at Minnesota prisons has nearly doubled over the last 20 years, from around 5,500 in 1999, to over 9,300 now.

One of the directives of newly appointed Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell is to find new ways to reduce that population and prevent inmates from coming back to prison.

“We focus really heavily on cognitive skills, cognitive treatment, understanding thinking errors, and preparing them for careers and giving them skills,” Knutson says.

The Department of Corrections recently created a new position to connect inmates with potential employers once they leave prison.

The “career navigator” was hired this past January and is part of a new directive to give offenders more opportunities to succeed in their careers after prison.

Jake Kivela-Sandnas is hoping to take advantage of this new opportunity in the coming years.

He’s currently serving a 5-year sentence at Moose Lake Prison for drug violations.

He’s scheduled to be released in the fall of 2020, but says he could get out later this year if he lands a job with the work release program.



He’s currently taking classes in the electrical wiring program that teaches offenders how to install wiring for electronics, cable, phone and internet.



"The opportunity to learn this is huge, because the job market is unbelievable,” Kivela-Sandnas says.

He’s trying to make the most out of his 2nd chance, actually for him, it’s more like a 3rd chance.



"This is my 2nd time in prison for the same thing, selling drugs," Kivela-Sandnas says.