Plymouth Corrections Facility Remains COVID-free, Inmate Levels Drop
While thousands of inmates have contracted the novel coronavirus across the country, the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth remains free of COVID-19 cases.
Sean Chapman, the facility’s superintendent, believes several operational changes have prevented COVID-19 from entering within its walls.
“We’ve reduced group sizes for meals, recreation and programming to establish social distancing. Every person entering will get screened. All staff are required to wear face masks and we strategically placed hand sanitizer stations throughout the building,” said Chapman.
Beyond promoting good hygiene and cleanliness, Chapman said they’ve been able to reduce the population in the facility.
“As of right now, we are not bringing anyone directly from the community to the facility. We’re placing more individuals on electronic monitoring who meet the guidelines and core authorizations,” Chapman explained.
Corrections Facility Inmate Level at Historic Low
Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth
There is a total of 126 residents at the facility currently. As of mid-week, the men’s section had 99 residents, a historic low.
“I’ve been with Hennepin County going on 29 years, I’ve never seen our population in our facility to this level. This has been a measure that’s been impacted through partnerships with the criminal justice stakeholders and county administration,” Chapman said.
However, Chapman said he doesn’t anticipate it remaining that way for an extended period of time.
With this being National Correctional Officers Week, Chapman also wanted to recognize the staff that help everyday.
“During this pandemic, the professionalism and commitment from our staff are phenomenal. Their compassion and care during this time is a testament to the commitment to serve not only the residents but the community they live in,” Chapman said.
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