Sawyer County jail average daily population 51 in March; education and language classes expand inside facility

Jail staff reported an average daily population of 51 inmates for March 2025, with 11 females and 40 males, and an unemployment rate among inmates reported at 71%. "March 2025, we see an average daily population of 51 inmates, 11 of those being females, 40 males," a jail official said during the meeting. The report also showed the composition of custody by type: average probation incarceration (16), pre-sentence incarceration (24) and average sentence incarceration (11).

Jail programming updates included six GED completers in the 2024–25 school year, a new Ojibwe language and culture class offered twice weekly for both men and women, and several ongoing reentry programs. Staff said the Ojibwe class will run for eight weeks beginning next Wednesday. Other programs listed included Pathways Home, parenting classes (Inside Out) with three completers, on-the-job training through Northwest SEP, and multiple AA and peer-support groups. Jail staff and Justice Point representatives said community partnerships and funding (including opioid-settlement support for marketing) have supported education and reentry efforts.

The jail report also included multi-year arrest data and a suggestion that a data work group look at seasonal unemployment differences, which staff said can affect local recidivism and recovery-court employment expectations. Members discussed using such analysis to understand how seasonal work patterns in the county affect compliance and outcomes.