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Sheriff's office reports jail population pressures, announces Woodland Centers in-jail treatment program
Summary
Meeker County jail staff reported 210 bookings year-to-date and ongoing mental-health bed shortages; the sheriff's office said Woodland Centers will operate a licensed Monday'Friday in-jail treatment program at no cost to the county, and commissioners discussed staffing and DOC policy changes that can extend local stays.
County program staff briefed the Meeker County Board on jail operations on May 19, describing persistent mental-health and substance-use challenges among the jail population and a new in-jail treatment partnership.
Jim Wachiel, program coordinator, told commissioners that jails now house many people with substance-use disorder and mental-health conditions and that state hospital capacity is limited. "We have a mental health crisis going on in Minnesota," Wachiel said, noting that changes to state procedures mean some people remain in county jails longer while waiting for state placements.
Wachiel provided operational figures: 210 people had been booked into the jail so far in 2026, and the jail had collected roughly $37,007.18 in inmate liens, medical-billing and booking fees. The average daily census reported during the briefing was 26 inmates. Wachiel emphasized community partnerships: the jail runs about 14 programs six days a week and relies on approximately 107 trained volunteers who provide programming and reentry assistance.
The sheriff's office and staff described the county's participation in a DOC work-release program (the county receives about $70 per day for DOC participants) and noted the program's potential fiscal shortfall at current rates. Commissioners raised budget and staffing concerns and asked how DOC rule changes would affect county operations; staff said some proposed DOC changes would increase staff time for well-being checks and other monitoring, which could be labor-intensive.
Wachiel announced a partnership with Woodland Centers to provide an inpatient treatment program inside the jail that will operate Monday through Friday, be licensed by the state, and, he said, "be no cost to the county." Woodland Centers will provide chemical-use assessments, hire staff and offer transition services to other treatment when inmates are released.
Commissioners praised the jail staff and volunteers and asked for follow-up on program start dates and recidivism projections. Wachiel cited a department figure that successful completion of treatment can materially reduce recidivism risk and said staff will update the board when Woodland Centers provides a start date for on-site services.
The board did not take formal action during the briefing.
