Tour shows need for new county jail

By MaryHelen Swanson
Claustrophobics would not do well as a resident or employee at the Chisago County jail. Built in 1978, the halls are narrow, lighting is poor, and layout resembles a hamster trail system.
Following a lengthy county board meeting last Wednesday, the commissioners took a tour of the county jail as a first step in what might be a long process toward building a new county jail facility.
On the day of the tour, Jan. 29, the jail was at capacity, 20 prisoners were being boarded out, six were in the holding cells, three women had been sent elsewhere because the Chisago facility cannot accommodate them, and the Huber dorm was full.
There were no juveniles at the facility, Chisago cannot keep them in the jail for more than six hours. The county contracts with Anoka County for beds in a Lino Lakes facility for juveniles.
The commissioners arrived at the jail for their tour nearly an hour late, due to an extended board meeting.
They dined on semi-warm jail food, gulped down red Koolaid and were escorted through the jail by Sheriff Todd Rivard and staff to show why the sheriffís department will be asking for a new facility in the future.
The present jail has a capacity of 53, noted Sheriff Rivard, the new facility he will ask for someday will have 150 to 160 beds.
The present jail staff includes 11 jailers, one programmer, one jail administrator and one controller.
Staff at the new jail would be tripled, Rivard told the group.
He talked briefly about the ever-increasing need for jail space.
For instance, he noted, the Huber area in the initial jail, built in 1978, had six beds. Huber is a program that allows inmates to leave the jail each day to go to work. They return at the end of the day and spend the night in jail.
An addition was put on the county jail in 1992, opening in 1994 with 26 Huber beds, they are full now. It was a ìgood 10-year Band-aid,î Rivard said.
While the county is spending some $300,000 a year to house prisoners in other facilities due to lack of space, Rivard said the cost is not bad compared to the tripled costs of running a new jail.
Commissioner Rick Olseen asked if the present jail could be used as a juvenile detention center when a new jail is built.
The sheriff said running a juvenile detention center is expensive because more staff is needed.
In addition, it would be extremely costly to operate two buildings. Management of two jails, he said, could be a nightmare.
Rivard noted that the new Polk County, Wisc., 160-bed jail is nearly ready for occupancy and Chisago County has contracted for space at $45 per day.
When asked by a board member if it would not be more cost efficient to continue boarding out to Polk County than to build a new jail, County Administrator Jim Thoreen said the contract with Polk County was not a long-term solution.
Polk County will need the beds Chisago County is temporarily contracting and possibly could need them for their own use in as little as three years, he said.
Polk Countyís $19 million facility is expected to suffice its needs for 15 years.
Like Polk Countyís new justice center, Rivard said, the ideal facility would be a combined court and jail with probation administration housed there as well.
All the departments together is the best and safest way to go, Rivard said, as far as transporting prisoners to and from court.
He said Chisago Countyís system now does not allow for a secure entrance to the courts. There is no sally port or area assigned strictly for bringing defendants into the court building.
As the tour commenced, Rivard said the jail was adequate when it was built in 1978.
The building has no air exchange system and the heating and cooling systems are insufficient.
Lack of air conditioning, especially in summer, causes condensation on the concrete floors. The floors become slippery and dangerous ñ not just for the inmates, but for staff as well, he said.
Employee work rooms are small and cramped. Part of an inmate exercise room had to be converted to a storage area for bedding and other supplies, Rivard said. Control rooms and computer systems are in small, poorly lit areas, including the basement.
The earthen bank behind the jail, down to North Center Lake, is sliding and part of the parking area is already cordoned off with orange cones because of the risk of erosion.
There is concern for the jail building, with cracks already noticed in the basement walls in a corner that is nearest the hillside.
An old building adjacent to the jail, that had previously been used for jail administration, is abandoned due to ìsick buildingî syndrome.
There was a mold problem in the old brick walls and, according to Rivard, at least one employee in that building developed health problems.
Next step?
Back in the board room, some time in the near future, the commissioners will hear a request for a new facility. The board has approved participation in a training program for counties that are considering building jails, offered free by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC).
Four people from Chisago County are going to Colorado for the training. A group from NIC will come to Chisago County to assess the jail situation prior to that session.

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com