The Beltrami County Jail was ordered to reduce its capacity after multiple violations on minimum staffing levels and other issues.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections order comes after an investigation into a complaint alleging that emergency care was delayed after a suicide attempt on Jan. 24.
The Jail was ordered to submit a capacity reduction plan by the end of yesterday.
Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs says retention and injuries are just some of the factors in this challenging environment.
Beltrami County has opted to proceed with the construction of a new 240-bed jail facility with a potential sales tax to fund it to be seen on the ballots as soon as this year.
Riggs said among the staffing challenges are the impaired lines of sight present throughout the multi-level Beltrami County Jail, which requires higher staffing to keep staff and inmates safe.
As of today, the Beltrami County Jail must reduce its capacity to 72 beds until June 2024, which Riggs said would be completed through more use of electronic home monitoring for those who qualify and housing inmates out-of-county.
Listen to the full conversation with Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs:
