Hed: New warden sworn in at Moose Lake

A new warden was installed Tuesday at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Moose Lake. Brian Collins began his duties earlier this spring.

“Correctional facilities are aptly named — they exist to facilitate transformational change within the people we serve,” Collins said. “Because 95 percent of incarcerated people are eventually released from prison, we have an obligation to ensure people return to the community as productive, contributing members.”

Collins began his state career in 2006 with the Department of Human Services as a security counselor and special investigator. He transferred to the Minnesota Department of Corrections in 2009 and worked as a probation and parole agent, program director, and associate warden in St. Cloud and Rush City. Collins holds a master’s degree in management, and both a bachelor’s degree and associate degree in criminal justice. He is a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served honorably as a door gunner in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Improving the safety of our communities isn’t simply about how much time someone spends in prison after being convicted of a crime,” Minnesota DOC commissioner Paul Schnell said. “Community safety depends on how people spend the time they serve in prison — the programs they participate in and the intervention services they receive. The wardens overseeing the state’s correctional facilities play pivotal roles in leading their teams to implement the agency’s transformation-focused approach to reduce the risk of reoffending, to make Minnesota safer.”