Below: Republican State Sen. Paul Utke of Park Rapids’ conversation with Austin Erickson
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – As the Minnesota legislature held a special Monday session, Minnesota sheriffs and county attorneys called for more support dealing with mental health situations at jails.
Clay County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Chris Martin spoke about the difficulty of helping jail inmates with mental health issues.
He’s also concerned about a pause on the ’48 hour rule’ requiring the state’s Department of Human Services to transfer someone from a jail to a treatment center within two days if they’re found mentally unstable.
The legislature made that decision as part of a policy bill passed May 19, the last day of the regular session.
“Originally, I believe [the 48 hour rule] was paused because the state didn’t have the capacity [for mental health beds at treatment centers] and they basically gave them two years to get this figured out,” said State Senator Paul Utke of Park Rapids, who’s on the Senate Human Services Committee. “Unfortunately, not much has been done.”
Martin says a man booked into the jail in January 2023 who refused services and assaulted corrections officers three times, including trying to get a stun gun and an officer’s keys.
It took two years to transfer the man to a mental health facility. Martin says he spoke with DHS to get the inmate transferred multiple times before then, but he was told there wasn’t any room at their facility.
“We talk about 48 hours. He spent over 10,870 hours with us after he was committed. He suffered for that and our correctional officers suffered for that. We as citizens of Minnesota have to do better for them. We have to stop criminalizing mental health. Mr. Governor, legislators, we need capacity. I call on all of you to help us out with that,” Martin said.
DFL State Senator Rob Kupec says funding for a psychiatric regional treatment center in Clay County is in the Senate’s Health and Human Services bill that is expected to be voted on during the legislature’s special session on Monday.
Otter Tail County Attorney Michelle Eldien says her county’s jail is holding people on civil commitments without them being charged with a crime because of public safety concerns. Eldien says her office is talking with law enforcement daily in a crisis situation on where to put someone with mental health issues.
“My victims and our people are wondering what’s going on because nothing’s happening with these individuals. They’re not getting to have a trial and be heard in those situations, but also, these individuals are sitting in our jails without a trial date in site,” Eldien explained.
The Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association and Minnesota County Attorneys’ Association are concerned about a Human Services spending bill that’s expected to be tackled during the special session. It includes money to expand the state’s largest psychiatric hospital, the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center. Lawmakers made the money contingent on the legislature passing a separate bonding bill including $55 million to expand the facility.
“I have a problem with how we’re doing business. We’ve got capacity if we run those places in a more efficient manner. We do know that Anoka has been bursting at the seams and because of that, our counties have been stuck with a lot of expense that they don’t have a lot of control over. The state is telling them what they have to do with it, how they have to do it, but the state isn’t providing the services,” Utke explained.
