Seven years later, the new Itasca County Jail and Justice Center is nearing completion. What originally began as a sunset letter from the Department of Corrections (DOC) in 2017 is now a massive building in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.
While the size of the project may have brought a lot of changes to the exterior views of the city, it is the changes within the building that are the most welcome. In a correctional facility, safety and security are the top priorities, and this building will provide it at a much greater level than its predecessor.
The original letter sunsetting the Itasca County Jail in 2017 outlined numerous faults identified in a DOC inspection that required action be taken to revamp the existing structure, or complete a new build. The jail had failed fifteen mandatory requirements identified by the MN DOC and given a sunset date of September 1, 2021.
After several years of planning, decision-making, and engaging the public on the project, the Itasca County Board approved a $75 million dollar bond to fund a new jail with a 1% county-wide Sales and Use Tax, anticipating many out-of-town visitors would fund a large portion of the project.
The previous facility, opened in 1982, putting the current jail in-use for 42 years - well beyond the recommended lifespan of a correctional facility according to the National Institute of Corrections that determined 25-30 years is a more reasonable expectation.
For the last four decades, Itasca County Jail corrections officers and other law enforcement officials have been running a 24/7/365 operation in the old jail, and there is likely no one else that is looking forward to the new building like our local correctional staff. In an out-dated design, the staff have operated the jail that is laid-out in a linear design - a set-up that requires significantly more direct, face-to-face interaction between the officers and inmates.
Inmates in Itasca County have been subjected to overcrowding, limited resources, and a lack of comprehensive inmate programming for years now - all of which can lead to more tension in a facility where tension can quickly lead to conflict.
The new facility is designed as “non-direct,” meaning officers monitor inmates who are congregated in a pod from a separate post. The pods consist of multiple cells and a large dayroom. Officers responsible for the pods will be better equipped with technology and resources to respond to different situations in a safe and secure environment rather than one that is unsafe for staff and inmates.
An expansion will take place, as you’ve likely noticed from the sheer size of the facility. The new building will have 184 inmate beds compared to the 107 it currently has. Despite 107 available beds in the current facility, the out-dated design limits options and movement for inmates with different classifications and the ability to segregate one from the other in necessary situations. Rather than having to mix and match inmates with different classifications in the old facility, entire pods are dedicated to specific classifications of inmates in the new jail, making the entire operation significantly more safe, secure and efficient. For instance, there is one isolation cell in the old jail, limiting placement for inmates with higher needs. The new one now has eight, meaning officers can make safe and informed decisions based on security rather than availability.
“ This gives the ability for officers to be able to keep inmates of different classifications and behavior levels separated,” explained Itasca County Jail Sergeant Dusty Ross, who is in his twelfth year working at the jail. “We also will have the ability to keep a closer watch on the inmates who need more frequent checks. Like suicide watch, medical and mental health inmates, etc.” The new jail will also include a giant rec space, natural daylight, increased programming rooms, additional mental health resources, and additional bed space to house inmates from other counties rather than ship Itasca inmates elsewhere for a price.
When this jail was designed, the Jail Task Force and the Itasca County Sheriff flipped a major script when it came to out-of-county housing.
One reason the new facility will be so much larger is that the new Itasca County Jail will now have the capacity to house inmates from other counties at a paid daily per diem rate of $59.55 per inmate - a price Itasca County has paid others for years to house local inmates in other locations because of the lack of space in Itasca.
According to Jail Captain, Lucas Thompson, Itasca County historically houses 19-60 inmates out of the county at any given time at a cost to the county of $400,000 to $750,000 per year. The new facility will likely save several hundred thousand dollars per year keeping the inmates in Itasca, an enormous cost savings to the county, and will now generate revenue when other facilities, including the state DOC, are in need of additional bed space.
Phase-1 of the new jail is nearly complete and training is expected to begin in the coming weeks to prepare staff to move inmates next door while operating an entirely new facility. Once that phase is concluded, work will begin to remodel the current annex, where Itasca County Probation will be moving once it’s complete. Once probation moves in, their current building can be sold and added to the county tax roll. Captain Lucas Thompson reported the Phase-1 build is currently under budget and should remain that way.
Itasca County Administrator Brett Skyles also noted that the Sales and Use Tax has so far generated more revenue than the $4 million annually initially estimated by the Department of Revenue. Skyles reported that in just nine months of 2023 alone, the tax generated $5.4 million toward the bond, exceeding the annual payment and potentially saving the county millions in interest on the back end of the life of the bond. “Ebbs and flows” of economic cycles should be considered, Skyles said, but ultimately the bond for the new jail should be paid off sooner than initially anticipated.
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