A visit to a cramped county jail

A group of Carlton County senior citizens got an inside glimpse of the Carlton County jail last week. It provided a better understanding of why county officials are so eager to replace the aging facility.

Members of the Carlton County TRIAD group - a statewide group of senior citizens, law enforcement and community members working together to prevent crime against senior citizens - toured the Carlton County Law Enforcement Center on Dec. 4.

Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake gave background on the jail before the tour. The Carlton County Law Enforcement Center opened in 1979 with 24 beds. An addition in 1989 added another 24 beds, but none of the other areas, such as the kitchen, were enlarged at that time.

Carlton County officials and consultants have been exploring the idea of a new jail for several years. While there are no firm cost estimates for a new jail, preliminary estimates have ranged from $25 to $30 million. The proposed new jail will likely be constructed in the same general vicinity, near the courthouse in Carlton. One option, purchasing the Carlton High School site next door, is in limbo as the Carlton School Board is expected to ask for an extension to the county's requested Dec. 19 deadline for a decision, citing uncertainty about consolidation with Wrenshall.

During the TRIAD tour, Lake and jail administrator Paul Coughlin walked the group through the jail explaining different procedures and programs, starting with the booking area.

"Anyone arrested in Carlton County, whether it be by the state patrol, the DNR, the police departments or by county deputies, are brought here," Lake said. "The officer drives the squad car into the sally port (garage) and brings the person into the booking area. All of the activities in that area are recorded on video." The recordings are used by law enforcement, attorneys and other agencies. Mug shots are taken and information is entered into a computer system tied to state agencies.

"This is the front end of the criminal justice system," Lake said. "This is where everything starts."

"We run 1,600 to 2,000 inmates through this jail every year," said jail administrator Paul Coughlin.

After being booked, the person is placed into a holding cell next to the booking area.

"Generally, when the arrestee is brought in, he or she is under the influence of something," Lake said. "They could be under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both."

"They are placed in a holding cell for eight to 10 hours to sober up," Coughlin said.

The medical room is also close to the booking area. A nurse is on duty to do exams and issue medicines. A doctor comes in periodically.

"We work with public health," Coughlin said. "Ninety-nine percent of the inmates go back to the community. We want them as healthy as possible so that they are better citizens when they go back to the community. Very few people go on to prison. That's the way that it should be."

For those with mental health issues, a professional from the Human Development Center talks to the inmate over a TV system, Coughlin said.

The commercial kitchen was another stop on the tour.

"We also provide meals for the Liberalis [now CARE] facility. That service brings in a lot of revenue," Lake said. Carlton County Community Addiction Recovery - formerly known as Liberalis - is a Minnesota Department of Human Resources operated facility in Carlton that specializes in women's programs and offers substance abuse treatment services.

Food service provider Consolidate Food Service has contracts with the jail and the State of Minnesota. "We have an agreement with Consolidated so they can utilize our jail kitchen to prepare the meals," Lake said. "And then the meals are transported to the facility."

"This facility is licensed by the Department of Corrections," Lake said. "It is inspected every year." Coughlin said it is inspected annually because it is so old. Other jails are inspected every other year.

Lake said inmates are classified and the inmates of each classification cannot be mixed in the same cell block. Women and men have to be separated, for example, and inmates with an extensive criminal history cannot be mixed with low-risk inmates. Inmates with mental health issues are also in a separate block.

"The staff members are required to lay eyes on each inmate every 30 minutes," she said. "They have to see the inmate's chest rise and fall."

When Coughlin had to leave, assistant jail administrator, Jason Wilmes, took over the tour.

"It takes seven or eight minutes to walk around the jail every 30 minutes," Wilmes said. "We have to stop and observe and answer questions. We are on our feet a lot."

There are six cell blocks ranging in size from 2 to 12 cells per block. There were 32 inmates in the jail at the time of the tour.

Lake said inmates are boarded out to other county jails when the jail has no more room. Juveniles are sent to the Arrowhead Juvenile Center in Duluth.

"The design of the jail is linear," Lake said. "In a more modern design, there would be a module in the middle where the facility could be monitored much better. This is more staff intensive."

Lake said next year's budget includes adding two more staff members for the jail. "That is a recommendation that came out of the jail study," she said. "Then we would have enough staff for a new facility."

The proposed new jail facility would have a capacity for 84 beds, with space for 114 inmates if there were two beds to a cell, Lake said.

A small room served as a library, with books on carts, and a game room. Attorneys and probation agents meet with clients in that room, and a parent education class is conducted in there. The room can also be used as a holding room, when necessary.

In the control room, computer screens show views from cameras mounted throughout the jail. A staff member controls all of the equipment in the crowded space.

"I don't know where we are going to find locker space for additional staff," Lake said. "We will have to double up. That cramps you."

Lake encourages other groups to come in for tours. Call Sheriff Lake at 218-384-3236 or send an email to kelly.lake@co.

carlton.mn.us.

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Making better parents in jail

Sheriff Kelly Lake said jail inmates now have the option of taking a parent education class. Participation in the class is voluntary. Funds for the parent education program came from a grant awarded to the Carlton School District, Lake said. The participants have to follow through with the lesson plans.

"That's hard work for them, they are learning a lot of skills," Lake said. "Books are provided with grant funds. The parent and the child each can have the same book on each side of the glass in the visitors' room. It has been determined that the children get better grades in school after they can interact with their parent at the jail."

Lake also said that the goal of the classes is to reduce the probability of an inmate returning to jail and passing their behaviors on to their children.

"I'm seeing the kids of previous inmates now because I worked in the jail before I became sheriff," she said. "We are hoping that these classes will reduce the inmates returning to jail, and having healthier families."

- Lois E. Johnson / Pine Knot News