Dozens of inmates at Ramsey County Jail to be transferred to facilities in other counties
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In order to meet a requirement ordered by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) regarding over-crowding concerns, inmates at the Ramsey County Jail will be transferred to facilities at other counties, as well as to the Ramsey County workhouse.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Friday, the DOC ordered the jail to reduce capacity, and cited multiple violations. The agency’s order said the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center must submit a capacity reduction plan by the end of the day Monday.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, 30-50 female inmates will be taken to the county’s correctional facility starting Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, an additional 30-50 inmates will be sent to facilities in other counties beginning Tuesday morning.
The Sheriff’s Office adds another 25 inmates will be sent to state correctional facilities.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher says he is also working to hire additional jail staff.
(KSTP-TV)
The full plan can be found at the bottom of this article.
RELATED: Ramsey County officials to address overcrowding at jail following reported violations
According to the department’s order, the DOC’s inspection of the Ramsey County jail in November showed the failure to meet minimum staffing requirements, which led DOC to direct the county to submit a staffing plan by the end of 2022. On Dec. 30, 2022, the jail sent in its plan and said it was meeting required staffing levels. However, an audit determined 12 shifts failed to meet staffing levels from Jan. 7-25, 2023.
The new order now reduces the 500-bed Ramsey County jail’s approved capacity to 360 inmates — and its operational bed capacity to 324 inmates — until the end of November unless changed sooner by DOC.
County officials say they will meet Tuesday to find ways to fix overcrowding in the adult detention center, following orders from the Department of Corrections.
The DOC’s full order to Ramsey County, which details more of the violations, can be found by clicking here.