Hennepin County jail ordered to reduce its population, Sheriff Witt intends to appeal

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) is ordering the Hennepin County jail to reduce its inmate population in order to meet the minimum safety standards set by the state.

What is the state ordering?

The Minnesota DOC said in a conditional license order that the Hennepin County jail has not met the required ratio of custody staff to inmates, which could risk the safety of everyone at the facility.

The order also reports the jail failed to perform the required number of well-being checks and was unable to respond to emergencies in a timely manner.

State officials are now requiring the jail to reduce its population to 600 inmates by Nov. 14.

As of Nov. 9, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office website shows there are 844 inmates in custody, with 705 at the Hennepin County facility and 139 held in other jails.

Sheriff's response

Hennepin County Sheriff Dewanna Witt said her office intends to "appeal the order and seek review by a court if necessary."

The sheriff's office also said it requested the DOC extend the implementation deadline from Nov. 14 to Dec. 5, adding that the DOC's timeline is "not realistic when it comes to adhering to the order in the safest and most responsible manner."

Past incidents

State officials say seven inmates have died between Sept. 2022 and Sept. 2024.

The report cites an incident where a jail staffer logged a fake well-being check on Dec. 31, 2022. The inmate who was supposed to be checked on later died in a medical emergency, according to the report.

Earlier that same year, an inmate died in custody after he told jailers he swallowed a bag of drugs. That incident led to a lawsuit being filed at the beginning of 2024.

Hennepin County jail lawsuit filed following 2022 inmate death

The report also points to an inmate death that happened on Sept. 18, 2023, saying the jail should have put the inmate "on more frequent observation as required by the rule."