Correctional Facility Standards & Inspections

The 51st Legislative Assembly mandated the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to prescribe rules establishing minimum standards for the construction, operation, and maintenance of public correctional facilities and to prescribe rules for the care and treatment of inmates. 1989 N.D. Laws, ch. 156, § 5. The Department’s obligations are codified at N.D.C.C. § 12-44.1-24. Section 12-44.1-24 also requires the Department to appoint a correctional facility inspector qualified by special experience, education, or training to inspect each correctional facility at least once each year to determine whether there is compliance with the Department’s standards and rules. The following standards and rules are prescribed in accordance with the statutory requirements under Section 12-44.1-24. The standards and rules are subject to amendment when necessary on account of federal or state law changes and relevant judicial decisions affecting correctional facilities.