FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – The Cass County Community Supervision Unit has been operating for about two years within the sheriff’s department. The team has replaced the work release program used for many years.
Two deputies and a supervisor are assigned to check daily on inmates not considered a risk to the public who are released but still under sentence and in still in custody. Those inmates, tracked by GPS, are allowed to return home and continue to hold their jobs.
Sheriff Jesse Jahner says the program has proven to be “fiscally responsible” for taxpayers. It has meant fewer inmates in the jail and those released are paying their own insurance and are no longer the responsibility of Cass County if they have a medical issue. The annual sheriff’s department budget is approximately $19-million. More than half that goes to operating the jail.
Asst. Jail Administrator Lt. Katie Fuller says a big part of the special unit’s job is to make sure court appearances are kept, assist with housing if needed, linking them up with outside agencies that may offer assistance and avoiding obstacles they may have faced in the past. Fuller adds, “If they don’t have a ride, we’ll give them a ride.”
The Cass County Jail can handle a maximum of 348 inmates. On average, the facility houses about 275 prisoners daily, but that number can occasionally jump over 300.
Jahner says on weekends, especially during the summer, it’s not uncommon to see as many as 25 people booked per night.
Cass County has agreements to transfer inmates to other jails should inmate numbers near capacity.