Investigations show Ramsey County juvenile detention center staff beat youth

A Ramsey County juvenile detention center employee punched a young man under his care multiple times, leaving his face swollen and bruised, according to a state investigation into a second case of physical abuse at the facility in less than a year.

The incident occurred in February, but the Ministry of Social Affairs recently published the results of its investigation and again found that “serious abuse” had occurred at the center.

The confrontation began when a staff member told the youths at the juvenile detention center to go to their bedrooms and a person who was on the phone continued the conversation, the DHS report said.

An employee tried to take the phone away from him, and the teen cursed at the employee and slapped him, the report said. The employee responded by punching the teen several times in the face and head, leaving him with a swollen eye and visible bruising on his head, investigators found.

Ramsey County immediately suspended the employee and he had “no further contact” with the victim, the investigation report states.

DHS went a step further. It disqualified the employee from any job that involved direct contact or access to individuals receiving services from agencies or programs that require a DHS background check. This includes juvenile detention centers and various other facilities such as child care centers and adult day care facilities.

The investigation report does not name the employee, but notes that the individual began working at the facility in 2016 and was trained on policies and procedures, including a “policy review refresher” earlier this year. The facility’s use of force policy requires employees to use only the minimum necessary level of force when faced with perceived threats and never use force as a punishment.

The abuse was captured on video and audio recordings, and an investigator interviewed those involved and witnesses. Their report said a few other employees quickly got between the two, but the employee continued to beat the teen, hitting “sometimes over and around the other employees,” before realizing what they had done and leaving.

The employee said she was “reactive” and wasn’t sure why she hit the teen, but “everything happened very quickly,” the report said.

The Department of Corrections issues the prison’s license, and a department spokesperson said they were “immediately notified by the facility that the employee had been removed from the building and placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The DOC has completed our licensing investigation and determined that there were no licensing violations.”

In a statement, spokeswoman Rose Lindsay said Ramsey County could not comment due to the confidentiality of personnel matters.

“Ramsey County is committed to maintaining a respectful and safe environment for employees and individuals in our care,” the county said. “We take all allegations of mistreatment seriously and will fully cooperate with any related investigations by our licensing authorities..”

Second incident within a year

This is the second time DHS has found serious abuse at the Ramsey County facility within a calendar year. In both cases, DHS concluded that the employee, not the facility, was responsible for the incident.

In October, the department found that a staff member had abused a juvenile by grabbing him and throwing him to the ground, a behavior a supervisor described as “far outside” the facility’s use-of-force policy.

After an exchange of words, the employee grabbed the juvenile by his shirt and forced him to the ground, laid on top of the juvenile and shoved him to the ground several times. The juvenile’s head bounced up and down and hit the ground twice, the DHS memo states.

The teenager was found unconscious several times in the following days, sometimes with blood nearby. The employee was fired.

The Ramsey County Detention Center has space for 44 juveniles awaiting court appearances.

DHS is releasing abuse investigation records for four of 15 Minnesota facilities licensed to provide residential child detention. The documents will remain online for four years after they are released.

Ramsey County was the only facility with two such testing protocols, while Hennepin County, the Northwestern Minnesota Juvenile Center in Bemidji and the Prairie Lakes Youth Programs Captain’s Academy in Willmar each had one.