BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Kelly Armstrong released the following statement today after the Grand Forks County Commission approved a letter of intent to enter an agreement with the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide custody and care of DOCR residents in unused space in the new expansion at the Grand Forks County Correctional Center.
“We appreciate the Commission’s unanimous vote expressing their interest to enter an agreement to house DOCR residents at the County Correctional Center,” Armstrong said. “This will be a win-win for both parties, with the state securing access to jail beds to relieve pressure on our overcrowded prisons and the county securing another source of revenue to service the debt on their recently completed yet underutilized jail facility.”
In his executive budget recommendation presented to the Legislature in January, Armstrong included funding for an agreement with Grand Forks County. County officials had initially reached out to the state with the idea. Terms of the agreement still must be finalized.