VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Barnes County is short of certified female correctional officers working at the jail in Valley City and needs to hire more female jailers to house female inmates according to the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Barnes County jail administrator Jeremy Wolff said the goal is to have four full-time certified female correctional officers. He said it’s been a struggle trying to keep four full-time female correctional officers this year.

He talked about how interested female correctional officer candidates can apply for these open positions in Barnes County.

Wolff and Barnes County Chief Deputy Pat Sand said 37 females have been booked into Barnes County Correctional Facility to date as of January 1st of 2023, of those 15 of 37 females were booked and released after posting bond. 4 of 37 were booked and released on a Personal Recognizance Warrant. 5 of 37 saw the county Judge after being booked in and were released. 5 of 37 were released on Personal Recognizance bond by the Valley City Municipal Judge.

And 8 of 37 female inmate were transported to another facility for housing. The cost of transportation and housing of these female inmates varies depending on the length of the trip and number of days the female inmate was housed at another county jail.

Sand said some of these costs have been offset as Barnes County gets paid to house inmates from Cass and other surrounding counties once their jail facility is at full capacity.

Full interview below.