Associated Press Writer

By JAMES MacPHEBy JAMES MacPHERSON

DICKINSON - Inmates confined to North Dakota's county jails could do worse, the state's jail inspector says.

"Our inmates are well taken care of," said Steve Engen, the training director and jail inspector for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "I think our jails do a good job of treating inmates humanely and fairly."

Engen, 45, has been the state's only jail inspector since 2002. He started his career in law enforcement as a parole officer in 1986, and joined the Corrections Department in 1997, training guards, a job he still does.

As the state's sole jail inspector, it's Engen's job to ensure the state's 31 county jails comply with state law. He checks how each facility is run and how inmates are cared for in areas such as food, clothing, living conditions and medical care.

"In North Dakota, the level of service provided to inmates goes above and beyond the basic needs," Engen said. "Sheriffs and administrators, for the most part, are very caring people. They treat inmates how they would want to be treated if they were incarcerated."

Each spring, Engen takes to the road, visiting each county lockup. He completes the inspections before the end of the year, logging some 6,000 miles annually.

Some of the visits are surprises. Other times, jail officials are given advanced notice.

"I have unfettered access to a facility, anytime day or night," Engen said. "I can go to jail anytime I want - but I get to leave when I want to."

Inspections can take several hours, running down a list of 132 requirements each jail must meet. Engen also spends several hours before each inspection reviewing the facility's policy manuals.

"The bigger the facility, the longer it takes," he said. "I'm not trying to find problems. I am ensuring that essential services are being provided to inmates."

Ken Rooks, the administrator at the Southwest Multi-County Correction Center, said he welcomes the inspections.

"I look forward to it," he said of the Dickinson facility's annual inspection. "We don't look at it as a bad thing. If there is something not in compliance, we need to know. It's all about liability for me."

The Dickinson lockup got its annual inspection this month. It was the first in the state this year to get Engen's examination.

No part of a jail escapes Engen's scrutiny. He goes as far as checking each toilet to ensure it flushes correctly.

He asks the inmates how they're being treated and if they're getting enough to eat. Sometimes he gets an earful. Most times he doesn't.

"Most of the inmates just want to do their time and get on with their lives," Engen said.

The biggest complaint is about food, Engen said.

"The menus are good," he said. "I haven't seen a lot of people get skinny in jail - many of them gain weight. I'm sure most of them eat better in jail, with three square meals a day, than they do outside of jail."

Nelson Vega, an inmate at the Dickinson jail, wrote Engen complaining about security cameras trained on toilets and showers. Engen and jail officials explained that the cameras were blacked out in strategic areas to allow for some privacy.

Vega said he was happy with Engen's response.

"It's not an issue now," Vega said.

Jails have 90 days to correct any problems. If the problems aren't fixed, jails can be shuttered. But Engen said he doesn't think that has ever happened in North Dakota.

At the Dickinson lockup, built in the early 1980s, Engen found only one problem during his hours-long inspection: A footstool had been placed atop a hot water heater in the jail's kitchen. The problem was fixed immediately.