A male inmate has received so-called “bottom surgery” while serving a life sentence for murder at Minnesota’s women’s prison in Shakopee, multiple sources told Alpha News.
A statement from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) seems to suggest that taxpayers covered the cost.
Bradley Sirvio is a convicted murderer who beat a man to death with a hammer and set the victim’s house on fire. He is one of several male inmates who have been transferred to Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee after claiming to be a woman.
Since 2023, DOC policy has allowed men who identify as women to be housed at the Shakopee women’s prison. Alpha News has reported extensively on the issue, speaking with current and former inmates and employees who believe the policy is putting real women in danger.
Jayme Ali, a former Shakopee inmate who has been leading the charge against the DOC’s trans policy, said in the Alpha News documentary “Minnesota Mao” that Gov. Tim Walz’s administration “voluntarily put me in harm’s way.”
“I begged. My only options in there was to go into protective custody if I didn’t feel safe. Why should I have had to do that? I’m a woman. I was born a woman. DOC, your number one policy and obligation is to keep me, to keep us safe,” Ali said through tears.
“And you actually put us and put me in harm’s way. If that’s not cruel and unusual punishment, I don’t know what is,” she continued.
During a November protest outside the prison, speakers read from letters written by some of the female inmates who explained how the policy has “created an unsafe environment” and led to “more trauma.”
DOC said in a statement to Alpha News that it cannot “confirm, disclose, or discuss the private medical information for any individual” in its custody.
“It is important to understand that the agency is constitutionally and legally obligated to provide healthcare to people in state custody. Decisions about medical care and treatment are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on established standards and an individual patient’s clinical requirements,” the agency said.
Healthcare provided to those committed to the DOC’s custody is funded through the department’s appropriated healthcare budget, the statement continued.
“Because the DOC is constitutionally obligated to provide medically necessary healthcare, and regardless of the diagnosis or treatment needed, associated costs are borne by the department,” the agency added.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
