Stillwater prison to offer free haircuts for veterans

By Tim Engstrom
Inmate barber Jonathan White gives Department Service Officer Jason Storm a buzz right before shaving his head on July 13 inside the Stillwater prison.

BAYPORT — Army veteran and prison inmate Joe Soltis had an idea. What if inmates at the Stillwater prison gave free haircuts for veterans on Mondays?

Cuts 4 Vets launches Monday, Sept. 14. The inmates will give veterans free haircuts 9 a.m. to noon each Monday. Any veteran can just drop by any Monday and show his or her driver’s license.

Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater is 114 years old and slated to be closed in 2029. Since September 2025, it has been an ELU prison, full of inmates who have shown consistent positive behavior and a commitment to rehabilitation.

ELU means “earned living unit,” and the inmates have increased freedom and movement.

“They are looking out for each other, which is something I’ve never seen in my 21 years,” said Corrections Officer Dan Gorman.

Before ELU, he saw 80 percent of the inmates return and 20 percent success. Now, it is close to 100 percent success.

“It’s a mindset. Before it was, ‘That guy is coming after me,’ and now it is, ‘They are leaning on one another,’” Gorman said.

A Stillwater inmate cuts the hair of Corrections Officer Dan Gorman on July 13.

It was in this new environment for the Stillwater facility that Soltis’ idea is being launched, with the full support of the prison guards.

Soltis cut my hair when I arrived to cover this. Inmate Jonathan White gave Department Service Officer Jason Storm a good head shave. Storm is a former Isanti County correctional officer.

Inmate barbers helping Soltis and White are Kurt Baker, Darrell Miller, Henry Patterson, Perry Williams and Chris McMorris. They built the barber area inside the prison, along with Keith Grube.

Gorman said the reason they are working with veterans is because they typically “are already good to go” for entry purposes.

“No one has anything to fear coming to the prison for a haircut. They don’t need to call in advance. Just show up and bring your state-issued ID,” he said.

Gorman and many of the security guards hope the state doesn’t close Stillwater in 2029, and it can remain as an ELU facility. Giving inmates purpose and hope really works, they say.

“We hope the Legislature changes its mind in the next session,” he said. “Cuts 4 Vets is an example of what Stillwater can do.”

On the left is Corrections Officer Dan Gorman. At center is Department Service Officer Jason Storm. In the blue Legion cap is Communications Director Tim Engstrom. The rest are inmates who cut hair. Joe Soltis is second from right.