By Mollee Francisco 

On the same day that he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Grant Everson was transferred to prison to begin the next chapter in his life.

Judge Kevin Eide sentenced the 21-year-old to life without parole on Jan. 12 after a jury found Everson guilty of four counts of murder, including aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated murder, in the fatal shooting of his mother, Nancy Everson. Nancy was found shot to death in her Chaska residence on Jan. 15, 2006.

Everson's friend Joel Beckrich, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Dec. 15.

St. Cloud Correctional Facility

(Minnesota Department of Corrections)

Following their sentencing, both Everson and Beckrich were sent to the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud. St. Cloud serves as the reception facility for all male new "commits."

Shari Burt, Department of Corrections information officer, detailed what Everson and Beckrich can expect of prison life.

As new commits, Beckrich and Everson will be assigned to St. Cloud's intake/orientation unit for the first 30 days after their arrival, she wrote in an e-mail. "During orientation, they are advised of department rules, programs that might be available to them, visiting policies, medical services, etc.," stated Burt. "They are also evaluated by psychology and health services, and they are tested academically and chemically." Burt said that a caseworker will compile an offender's background information during orientation and he will be assigned a classification level.

"An incarceration plan is then developed, based on the offender's assessments, which determines where and how the offender will serve his time," she noted.

Oak Park Heights

Carver County Attorney Michael Fahey speculated that, because of the level of their offenses, both men will eventually be sent to Oak Park Heights, a maximum-security prison located in Stillwater.

"I certainly wouldn't assume they would end up at Oak Park Heights," said Burt. "That's a possibility but, depending on their assessments and what happens to them in orientation they could end up staying at St. Cloud or at another facility."

Oak Park Heights has nine complexes, six of which can house 52 inmates each. According to Burt, inmates only interact with other inmates in their unit or complex. According to the facility's description, at Oak Park Heights inmates participate in highly-structured programming, including industry, education, and institutional housekeeping.

"There is a daily schedule of work/school and meals," wrote Burt. "Evening hours are out-of-cell time to shower, make phone calls or recreate with other offenders."

Burt said that during the day, those offenders who have jobs are allowed to leave their cells to go to work. Otherwise, inmates remain locked up until evening.

Once they reach their permanent destination, Beckrich and Everson will be issued a clothing and linen package. According to Burt, this includes three pairs of jeans, three long-sleeve chambray shirts, six T-shirts, six briefs, six pairs of socks, a pillow, two blankets and two sheets. They will also receive a hygiene kit that includes a bar of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb and a drinking cup - all of which are supposed to last an inmate for at least 30 days.

Inmates are also initially provided with $15 in their account, Burt said. This money can be used to buy additional canteen items.

"Once they get a job or outside funds, the $15 is reclaimed by the department," Burt noted.

Personal items

Aside from the issued items, inmates can bring very few things with them to prison. Acceptable materials include legal papers, a driver's license or photo ID, social security card and a plain wedding band, if married.

"All other personal items are returned to the county of commit or sent out to the offender's family or designee at the inmate's expense," she wrote.

Visitors are also limited. During the first 30 days, they can have only two visitors for a total of 16 hours. After they have arrived at their permanent location, inmates are allowed 24 visitors a month for 16 hours total. Contact with visitors is limited to a brief kiss on the cheek, a hug and a handshake at arrival and departure.

If they are transferred to Oak Park Heights, as expected, Everson and Beckrich will be among 400-plus male inmates, the majority of which are new commits. Two hundred and seventy-three inmates there have been incarcerated for homicide.

At Oak Park Heights, the average length of sentence is 17 years, putting Beckrich on the far end of the spectrum with his 45-year sentence (in which after 30 years he would be eligible for parole).

Everson would be one of 26 inmates serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

BY THE NUMBERS

St. Cloud Correctional Facility

996 current inmates

208 (21%) between 21-25 years old

573 (58%) Caucasian

487 (52%) from the 7-county metro area

889 (89%) new commits

82 (8%) for homicide 3 (under 1%) are serving life sentences without possibility of parole

60 months is the average length of sentence

* Numbers current as of Jan. 21

Oak Park Heights Correctional Facility

416 current inmates

70 (17%) between 21-25 years old

192 (46%) Caucasian

233 (56%) from the 7-county metro area

348 (84%) new commits

273 (66%) for homicide

26 (6%) are serving life sentences without possibility of parole

204 months is the average length of sentence

* Numbers current as of Jan. 18

For more information on these facilities or to see a virtual tour of the prison, go to www.doc.state.mn.us/facilities.