Red Lake County

The Detention Center

Northwest Regional Corrections Center (NWRCC)

• Operated byTri-County Community Corrections — a joint powers regional jail serving Polk, Norman and Red Lake Counties
• Who runs itRegional jail superintendent, Northwest Regional Corrections Center (Tri-County Community Corrections) — the county does not name the current holder
• Answers tothe Northwest Regional Correction Center's joint board
• Why this is differentThe elected county sheriff does not run this jail.
• No standalone Red Lake County DOC inspection report foundA targeted search for a Red Lake County jail inspection report did not surface one; the MN House Research "Minnesota Regional & County Jails Consolidation Study" states Red Lake County is served, with Polk and Norman Counties, by "the Northwest Regional Corrections Center"
• NWRCC facility facts"A Class III Facility licensed by the Minnesota Department of Corrections to house up to 200 inmates," with three 60-bed housing units plus a specialized management unit, under a direct-supervision model
• Red Lake Nation noteRed Lake County overlaps Red Lake Nation territory. Nothing in the sources opened this session named a separate tribal detention facility, and the county sheriff's own site did not address the jurisdictional split. This is recorded as an unresolved research gap within budget, not as a finding about what the tribe does or does not run — the county sheriff's own custody role is limited to what is documented above (participation in the regional NWRCC); no claim is made here about tribal detention either way.
• What was triedRed Lake County's homepage and Sheriff's Office page were opened; its FAQ pages (index.asp?SEC=...) each failed with a robots.txt fetch error and could not be rendered
• Also sourced toTri-County Community Corrections — NWRCC — https://www.communitycorrections-tccc.org/nwrcc

Source: MN House Research — Minnesota Regional & County Jails Consolidation Study · checked 2026-09-18

• ✗The jail is named — not published
• ✗Who is in custody — not published
• ✗Beds and daily population — not published
• ✗What it costs taxpayers — not published
• ✗Deaths in custody — not published
• ✗PREA audits — not published
• ✗Independent inspection — not published
• ✗Who else it holds, and for how much — not published
• ✗How to post bond — not published
• ✗Phone, video and commissary rates — not published

This rates disclosure, not conduct — what Red Lake County publishes about a jail its taxpayers own, checked 2026-09-18. Nothing here says the jail is run well or badly. Every mark moves the moment the county posts the document.

The Building

You paid for it. Here is what the record says it cost.

• Year builtNot found
• Original costNot found
• Paid for byNot found
• BedsNot found for a Red Lake-specific facility; NWRCC (the regional facility Red Lake County uses) is licensed for up to 200 inmates

The Sheriff

Sheriff Mitch Bernstein

• Runs a jailRed Lake County does not appear to run a standalone county jail of its own — see jail.facts. Where the sheriff does exercise custody authority, the elected sheriff has charge and custody of the county jail under Minn. Stat. 387.11 (MN state layer)
• How the office is filledElected countywide to a four-year term under Minn. Stat. 382.01 (MN state layer)

Source: Red Lake County Sheriff's Office · checked 2026-09-18

The Judges

Minnesota district judges are elected on a nonpartisan ballot to six-year terms, but most first reach the bench by gubernatorial appointment to a mid-term vacancy. Bail at first appearance is set by the court under Minn. R. Crim. P. 6.02.

Source: the state judiciary · checked 2026-09-18

The County Commissioners

They pay for the jail. The sheriff runs it.

• What they controlThe detention budget, the building itself, and the agreements that let other agencies rent its beds.
• What they don'tDay-to-day operations. The sheriff is separately elected and answers to voters, not to the board.
• The boardBoard of County Commissioners