WINONA, Minn. – Although a juvenile detention center in Winona would be convenient for families, there are no plans for it, the county attorney said. Karin Sonneman issued a statement to dispel rumors that the condemned county jail might be remodeled into a juvenile holding facility. Sonneman said there have been no plans on what to do with the current jail, which is in the police station adjacent the courthouse. Juvenile detention is not a major issue, she said. “In Minnesota, juvenile delinquency focuses more on rehabilitation than punishment,” Sonneman said in a Winona Daily News interview. It seems the rumors stemmed from discussions by the Winona County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on alternatives to transporting juvenile offenders elsewhere while awaiting court appearances.
Where teens go
Winona County has relatively few cases in which juveniles are held for court appearances. If held, they generally go to:
> Prairie Lakes Juvenile Detention Facility, 46 beds, in Wilmar
> Anoka County East Central Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 36 beds, in Lino Lakes.
> Von Wald Shelter Care, 12 beds, southwest of Rochester.
The facilities don’t accept juveniles charged with severe crimes like murder, rape and assault. Most facilities charge $300 a day. Winona County absorbs the cost of transporting them back and forth to court.