Family of St. Paul man who died in prison calls for accountability from DOC

The family of a 40-year-old from St. Paul who died at the Rush City prison this month called on Thursday for transparency and accountability from the Minnesota Department of Corrections and other agencies.

Stephen Washington’s death on Oct. 9 remains under investigation. Preliminary information is that he “and his cellmate were involved in a dispute that ultimately turned violent,” said Shannon Loehrke, DOC communications director.

Alissa Washington, cousin of Stephen Washington and executive director of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council-Minnesota, said Thursday that her family doesn’t “have clear answers about what happened to him, how he was housed, who his cellmate was, what risk assessments were done and what red flags were missed.”

She called on DOC Co