Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt is addressing ongoing issues at the Hennepin County jail in the wake of deaths there since 2022 and a deadline from the Department of Corrections.
Witt says they have one of the busiest jails in the state and that they have gone above and beyond to keep inmates safe.
"DLC requires 30 minute checks. We have 25 minute checks," Witt told WCCO's Adam and Jordana. "The other thing though that I want to put into perspective here is, if you look at this year alone, we've had 123 medical emergencies in our facility and 40 of those were possibly life-threatening. We are saving lives as well."
Over the last two years, seven inmates have either died in the jail or after being transported to HCMC. The family of one inmate, Lucas Bellamy, will receive $3.4 million from the county after he died in his cell in 2022 from a perforated bowel. The suit alleged he had to crawl around on his hands and knees in pain for days and was begging guards to be taken to the hospital.
There is also an order from the Minnesota Department of Corrections asking the county to decrease its jail population to 600 inmates, noting that deputies failed to conduct timely well-being checks. As of Wednesday morning, the Hennepin County Jail dashboard shows 827 inmates in custody, well over the threshold set by the DOC.
Witt says she wishes there was more collaboration between the two departments before the order was sent out.
"One of the things that the DOC is doing, is changing the ratio for detention deputy versus in custody people," explains the sheriff. "We have been approved to do what we've been doing for years. And so now, to change the rule and do it in order without notice, just seems, it seems unfair."
The deadline for the jail to meet the minimum standards has been set for December 6.