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Closing Jail, Cuts Costs

November 26th, 2009
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With fewer prisoners, the Anoka County closed its medium security prison, reducing its budget by $400,000 so far. Story in the Star Tribune.

Despite a record level of human service caseloads, Anoka County has reduced its budget by $400,000 since September by closing its medium security prison and transferring inmates to Sherburne County, the county’s head of finances said Tuesday.

“We’re going to bring in a budget lower than September,” said Cevin Petersen, the county’s division manager of finance and central services.

Said County Administrator Terry Johnson: “A reduced levy still may not make people happy. But this will make them happier.”

Petersen said officials’ goal is to keep county-related service taxes to an average of less than $10 per household, or under $1 a month. Next month, the county board will be asked to scrutinize a prospective budget that meets those goals., Petersen said.

The real challenge, he said, is seeing whether a “socially conscious” county can meet the human-service demands that continue to rise as the economy remains in shambles.

“Look, you only have so much money,” he said. “How are you going to get things done?”

Closing the medium-security correctional center should save the county $650,000 annually, said Jerry Soma, manager of the county’s Human Services division. Much of that will go back to the general fund, he said.

Anoka County already had contracts for 25 beds at the jail in Elk River, to avoid overflow, before the agreement this summer to send more inmates to Sherburne County. The medium-security section of the center in Lino Lakes was rarely more than half full. With adult prisoners moved to Sherburne County, the facility in Lino Lakes can be used for juveniles or other purposes, Soma explained at the time the counties reached agreement.

The county is also relying on federal stimulus money, which helped it survive state cuts and now is being saved for future shortfalls, Soma said.

But Soma is also aware of the strain of the economy on everyday lives. He said his division is not planning to hold additional positions vacant — a tactic that has helped the county avoid massive layoffs.

janchavarie Economic Issues, MN Anoka County

Medical Costs Rampant In Minnesota

September 10th, 2008
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Jail inmates needing treatment for mental illness, addictions and other conditions are putting a strain on county finances in Minnesota.

For the first time, medical care costs more than food at the Washington County jail, where inmates often arrive with complex health problems that strain county finances. Sheriff Bill Hutton and the jail commander, Chuck Yetter, say they’re forced into constant reviews of the jail budget because of unpredictable surges of illnesses ranging from chronic diseases to depression, alcoholism and drug abuse. “We have these conversations everyday because they’re budget busters,” Hutton said.

In metro counties and elsewhere in Minnesota, medical costs in jails are surging, driven by what the director of the Minnesota Sheriffs Association calls a “perfect storm” of circumstances. “It’s well known that our mental institutions have basically closed so by default our jails have become our mental institutions,” said director Jim Franklin. “It boils down to who’s going to pay? Out of what budget? In the end, it all comes out of the taxpayer’s pocket.”

Inmates bring more medical needs than ever.

In many cases, they require expensive medications. Some haven’t seen doctors in years, others skip from one emergency room to another seeking treatment for their ailments, and often it’s discovered that inmates booked into jail carry contagious diseases.  To avoid legal, moral and ethical dilemmas, sheriffs must treat jail inmates despite occasional public concern that money’s being wasted. “A sheriff may be an elected official but nobody’s appointed him to be God,” Franklin said. “For public safety and all other kinds of reasons you have to address those issues.”

In Washington County, 35 percent of jail inmates are treated for mental illnesses. Thirty percent have drug and alcohol problems, 30 percent have dental decay, 25 percent have diabetes and 25 percent have heart disease. Many inmates suffer from several afflictions at once.  A physician’s assistant comes to the jail three days a week. Nine nurses work part-time from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The jail also contracts with a doctor, a dentist, and pharmacy and laboratory services. About 160 inmates occupy the Washington County jail on weekdays, about 200 on weekends. The average length of stay is about a month.Washington County plans a 10 percent increase in next year’s jail medical budget for a total of nearly $800,000. And that’s after a steep decline in the number of methamphetamine arrests in recent years.By comparison, the jail’s food budget for 2009 will be $545,000, same as this year.

Other metro counties in MN are reporting similar challenges.

Dakota County’s medical costs last year were up nearly 30 percent over the $1 million budgeted in 2006. About $325,000 was spent on medicine for inmates and $420,000 for nurses. In Scott County, Capt. Bonnie Case said the jail contains many mentally ill inmates who need psychotropic medicine and many who have dental problems related to methamphetamine use. In Anoka County, the medical costs of just two inmates totaled about $200,000, said Capt. Dave Pacholl, the jail administrator. That’s more than one-fifth of the total budget for a jail that houses 200 to 230 inmates per day.

In Hennepin County, the number of inmates who received mental health assessments jumped from 1,990 in 2005 to 3,200 in 2007. “It’s a sign that the mental health system is breaking down,” said Mandy Dageford, the jail’s nurse manager. “We have people who have been arrested on minor charges, and in the past they went to beds elsewhere after they were released. Now there’s nowhere else to take them.”

The Minneapolis-St Paul Star-Tribune article has more details.

jakking Inmate Health Care, MN Anoka County, MN Dakota County, MN Hennepin County, MN Scott County, MN Washington County