The Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center replaced an old jail that was well beyond capacity, and created an environment whose features all work together in pursuit of humanely and securely detaining those under legal arrest, commitment, or court order.
The design ensures that the new, 486-bed jail maintains a low 2.6 day average length of stay by organizing an efficient and separate flow of inmates throughout the intake and release process. A new pre-booking area allows police to bring detainees directly to the law enforcement center without first detouring to their precincts to prepare arrest reports, while high-volume courts decrease the transportation of inmates during the intake process. The law enforcement center also includes an office headquarters for the sheriff’s administrative staff and a peace officers’ training center complete with a firing range.