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Why a new Otter Tail County jail? It’s about the beds

Published 12:00am Tuesday, November 15, 2005

The jail houses about 85 inmates currently and can hold up to 111, but some classifications of inmates are already running out of space. Schlueter explained inmates need to be separated based on gender, level of offense, and medical, physical and psycological needs. Female inmates are currently being forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, and the lockdown area is constantly overbooked with serious offenders, according to Schlueter. He also said there is no space to lock up inmates with contagious medical diseases and gave an example of a man with mumps that had to be released because there was no place to keep him. &#8220We are doing the best we can with what we have, but separating people has been a challenge,&8221; he said. Schlueter said the overcrowded environment is dangerous for the staff. &#8220Any time you are working with a population of offenders with various backgrounds and substance abuse issues you are at risk,&8221; Schlueter said. &#8220Then if you put that same group is a small space, the risk goes up.&8221; Schlueter also said the jail’s intake area is potentially dangerous. People who are arrested have to enter the building from a small garage on the ground floor. The area is filled with squad cars, which often have weapons and keys inside. &#8220If a fight were to break out during booking and an inmate gained the upper hand, it could be a bad situation,&8221; Schlueter said. Plus, the facility only has two booking rooms and should have six for its size, which means a lot of agitated, upset and intoxicated people are often crammed into a tiny space when they first enter the building, Schlueter said. &#8220It’s just not a good situation in there,&8221; he said. The facility also lacks adequate space to house all of the outsiders that need to come in and work with the inmates. Schlueter said every inmate brings the potential for lawyers, probation officers, mental health professionals, chaplains, counselors and educators who all need a space to interact with the inmates. Currently, all of the specialists have to share one recreational room. To cope with the crammed quarters, the sheriff’s department has been paying to transport inmates to facilities in surrounding communities, but Schlueter said overcrowded jails are not just a problem in Otter Tail County and space throughout outstate Minnesota is limited. A committee of county officials, including Schlueter, has been charged with the task of trying to find a solution to the predicament. The committee is scheduled to go before the Otter Tail County Board in mid-December to ask for permission to hire a jail planner to professionally evaluates the needs at the current jail.