Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner’s interview on The Coffee Club.
FARGO, N.D. – Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner is against the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s new prioritization plan at the State Penitentiary in Bismarck.
New inmates sentenced to state prison can be turned away since the prison is at maximum capacity.
Inmates won’t be taken unless they’re convicted of a double A, A or B felony. County jails will have to keep the rest of the inmates including those who are sentenced to less than a year and a day.
“It’s not acceptable. We need the state and our legislators to talk about some expansion at that state pen level because we just don’t have the capacity to house those inmates sentenced to the state penitentiary in our facility. We’re building this new pod [at the Cass County Jail] and once that’s done, I suspect on day one that’s going to be half full,” Jahner said.
Jahner adds Cass County will have to make its own prioritization plan to choose which inmates can and cannot come into the jail.
