Dodge pulls out of Steele Detention Center

Dodge County officials dealt a significant blow last month to the Steele County Detention Center, striking a deal to house detainees in Olmsted County.

Steele County administrator Scott Golberg estimates the loss of the longtime contract, which was up for review, will cost the county $250,000-$300,000 annually. The Detention Center has a $4 million budget.

“It’s certainly not chump change,” he said. “It matters.”

While a news report about the Olmsted County board meeting cited construction at the jail as the reason for the move, Golberg said, “I don’t think that was really the issue.”

He said Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose sent a notice about the move in June, and it listed other reasons. They included uncertainty about the Steele County Board of Commissioners keeping the Detention Center’s current operating model.

Rose also mentioned Olmsted providing opportunities like work release and medical services, Golberg said.

“And they’re geographically closer,” he added. “They can house male and female detainees.”

There is construction at the Detention Center, though, to close off one of three pods that has not been operating. At a cost of $609,000, the wall will allow one person to supervise the two remaining pods.

Also, the facility will be able to house minimum-, medium-, and maximum-security classes of male inmates, and one class of female inmates. Golberg said once the work is complete, officials will also look at re-starting a work release program.

Since it opened in October of 2003, the Detention Center has never operated with all 154 beds full.

When it was built, Golberg said, the 58,575-square-foot building at 2500 Alexander St.

“was planned that it would house more than Steele County detainees.” The state was cracking down on facilities that were out of compliance with Department of Corrections standards.

“At the time, there were a lot of counties looking for jail space,” Golberg said.

While Steele County’s vision for a regional center never materialized, the facility has always housed detainees from other jurisdictions, including the state. Still, Detention Center numbers have steadily declined over the past few years, due to several factors.

Golberg said overall, there has been a move to keep people out of jail, favoring reform rather than incarceration. The State of Minnesota also houses fewer inmates in county jails, he added.

Then two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.

“They were really trying to keep people out of jail them,” Golberg said. “We’re still not sure what the norm is coming out of the pandemic.”

With a steady decrease in use, county officials in the spring of 2021 approached Rice County about sharing the facility. Officials there voted instead to build a $58 million public safety center, which will house a 76-bed jail, the Sheriff’s Department, storage, and training space.

The 83,000-square-foot building is currently under construction off Highway 3 in Faribault.

Waseca and Dodge county officials also turned down offers to buy in to the Steele County facility.

Steele commissioners appear to be reviewing all options. Earlier this year, they discussed turning the jail into a booking and transfer facility.

“For right now,” Golberg said, “the board did commit to continuing the operation (as is). “I think there are still some things happening in the region… I also think the criminal justice pendulum does swing back and forth, and that can change, too.”

“Right now,” he added, “we’re just trying to ride this whole storm out.”