MINNEAPOLIS — Citing a failure to provide adequate well-being checks and staffing woes, the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) placed the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center's license on conditional status and ordered the jail to reduce its inmate population by more than 200 by noon on Thursday, Nov. 14.
According to the order issued on Oct. 31, the "failure to comply with these legal requirements has contributed to conditions that have the potential to pose an imminent risk of life-threatening harm or serious physical injury to individuals confined or incarcerated in the facility if left uncorrected."
KARE 11 Investigates has reported for years on the troubling pattern in the Hennepin County Jail, including the July 2022 death of Lucas Bellamy, whose family filed a federal lawsuit alleging that staff ignored his pleas for medical care and left him to die from a treatable ulcer. On Monday, it was revealed that Hennepin County settled with Bellamy's family for $3.4 million.
In the time immediately after Bellamy's death, the Department of Correction's latest review cited seven additional deaths in Hennepin County custody since September 2022. In all of those deaths, the DOC found that the jail "failed to meet the requirements of the well-being check rule." Additionally, the state faulted the county for failing to maintain staffing ratios.
"By failing to meet minimum staffing requirements," the DOC wrote, "Hennepin County ADC is unable to adequately supervise inmates, respond to emergencies, care for the well-being of all inmates, and conduct well-being checks that comply with the rule."
In a statement, Sheriff Dawanna Witt said she's working closely with neighboring sheriff's administrations to relocate inmates outside of Hennepin County, specifying that about 180 inmates still need to be moved to comply with the state's capacity limit of 600. According to Hennepin County Board documents, Dakota County is among the neighboring counties helping to ease Hennepin's jail population burden, with an agreement in place through 2026.
However, with so many inmates left to relocate, Witt said she's requesting an extension from the DOC until Dec. 5.
"We were surprised and disappointed to receive this order. We have worked extensively with the DOC for the past several months to address some of the concerns that are raised in this order. Some aspects of this order contradict both Minnesota law and the DOC's own standards and training materials," Witt said. "We have raised these concerns repeatedly with the DOC and have offered to meet, but they have not responded to these offers. We intend to appeal the order and seek review by a court if necessary. Statewide, there is a frustration with the DOC's sliding scale of care standards and procedures."
Kevin Anderson, a Hennepin County Commissioner representing District 7, said Witt "is the right person to manage this."
"It's a big lift. We have some capacity at our adult correction facility to kind of flex some of our population," Anderson said. "We also have agreements with neighboring counties. I'm sure that we will be able to meet the needs and comply with any of the orders."
In an interview with KARE 11 earlier this year, Sheriff Witt spoke extensively about struggles inside the Hennepin County Jail and said her agency was about 20% short of licensed jail deputies. To bolster staffing levels, Witt said Monday that she's offering more overtime and continues to aggressively recruit deputies.
"The staffing challenges in the aftermath of George Floyd has been absolutely devastating across communities, not just with the Sheriff's Department," Anderson said. "Public safety responders, in general, have been really stretched thin. But we're getting there."