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Mary Steurer from the North Dakota Monitor first reported that North Dakota’s Department of Corrections is rushing to add 300 prison beds within a year to address severe overcrowding. The state prison system has averaged over 200 inmates beyond capacity for nearly two years, housing 1,744 men and 260 women against a planned capacity of 1,551 men and 229 women. Lawmakers approved over 37 million dollars for immediate relief, including 8 million for temporary man camps at Missouri River Correctional Center to house up to 96 inmates, and 27.4 million to contract with county jails for overflow housing. The state plans agreements with Grand Forks Jail for up to 72 beds and Burleigh Morton Detention Center for 120 beds. Additional funding includes 1.6 million for a northwest reentry center, 35.6 million to complete the Heart River women’s prison opening in 2027, and 20 million to plan a new medium-security facility. The overcrowding crisis has already cost the state 11 million dollars in budget overruns.
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