The Minnesota Department of Corrections has punished a county jail that withheld food and water for more than two days as punishment for an inmate who smeared feces in his cell and refused to clean it.
The department has ordered the Otter Tail County Jail in Fergus Falls to transfer all current inmates to the new facility by Thursday’s closing. The prison will be allowed to hold new inmates for up to 72 hours, excluding holidays and weekends, until approved by state officials.
According to an order from the department’s inspector general, on Saturday, Feb. 10, an inmate threw feces inside his cell door and smeared feces on his cell window and in the prison’s sleeping area under his cell door. Prison officials told him they wouldn’t feed him until he was cleaned, but he refused.
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According to the report, prison staff not only withheld inmates’ meals for six consecutive days, but the water to their cells was cut off, forcing them to drink toilet water and their own urine. He told the inspector general. According to the report, prison staff saw him “swallowing his own feces” on his second day Sunday. Staff witnessed him licking feces from his cell window and recorded him saying it was because he was hungry.
However, staff did not inform medical staff about his underlying physical and mental health conditions until the following Tuesday. Daily showers were also denied.
A Minnesota prison has been punished for intentionally withholding food and water from inmates. (Fox News)
The order noted that state regulations strictly prohibit withholding food from detainees as punishment. The prison’s non-compliance “has created a situation that, if left uncorrected, could pose an imminent risk of life-threatening harm or serious injury to individuals confined within the facility.” Ta.
Otter Tail County Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons said in a statement Wednesday that officials will follow state orders.
Mr Fitzgibbons said in a statement: “I deeply regret that this incident occurred.” “The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to protecting the safety and security of our employees and inmates. We are working closely with DOC to ensure the requirements outlined in that order are implemented. I will do my best to make it happen.”
The incident came to light on February 20, when prison administrators contacted the Department of Corrections to self-report the staff’s conduct and said they had begun an internal investigation with the help of a local law firm. The ministry also decided to conduct its own review.
The inmate, whose name has not been released, was transferred to a neighboring county jail. No details were given as to why he was being detained, other than that “there was a period of imprisonment remaining from the previous period of imprisonment.”
The sheriff’s statement did not dispute the state’s findings. His office did not immediately respond to follow-up messages about whether the staff member had been disciplined, why the inmate was being held or whether there were any mental health issues.
Correctional authorities ordered prison staff to undergo re-education and correctional training on proper supervision of inmates, inmate rights, and recognizing signs of mental illness.
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The reinstatement of the prison’s permission to resume normal operations will depend on the completion of all ordered corrective actions and ensuring that plans are in place to prevent such incidents from happening again. says the order.
