The North Dakota State Penitentiary is seeing some issues when it comes to space for residents.
BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — The North Dakota State Penitentiary is seeing some issues when it comes to space for residents.
They’re currently operating at nearly 100 over their capacity of about 1,600 residents.
In order to ensure the safety of our community, and of the residents, they’ve been temporarily housing inmates at the McKenzie County Correctional Facility; and now, they’re turning to three other correctional facilities in Bismarck, Rugby, and Williston for assistance.
But why is there such an increase in numbers?
Director Colby Braun says they’ve been looking into that.
“One thing that we found is that sentences are longer so people are staying in prison for longer periods of time,” explained Braun. “In every crime category that we have, people are here for a longer period of time, so our admissions are actually down, but our releases are down even further.”
Braun says one way we can work to lower that number is by giving people the help they need — both before and after they enter the prison.
“The thing that the public really needs to know, is when we look at safety, is how do we help these people leave this community of a prison better than what they came in?” shared Braun.
Braun says if the numbers continue to increase in this same way, they’ll have to consider expansions for incarceration.
This is something they’re looking into right now prior to the upcoming legislative session.
However, expansions may take about five years to be enacted.