Crow Wing County Jail hosts transition fair for inmates (2024)

BRAINERD — The Crow Wing County Jail hosted a transition fair Wednesday, June 12, for inmates looking for different forms of community services.

Around 50 inmates attended the transition fair with 17 vendors from Crow Wing and Stearns counties, said Bo Jedinak, Crow Wing County Jail sergeant of programs. The Crow Wing County Jail also houses Stearns County inmates.

1/10:Vendors prepare for the transition fair on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in the gym of the Crow Wing County Jail. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

2/10:Vendors prepare for the transition fair on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in the gym of the Crow Wing County Jail. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

3/10:Deionte Parker filling out some paperwork during the Crow Wing County Jail transition fair on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

4/10:David Croft, left, talks with Diversion Solutions on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

5/10:Chase, left, talks with Marsha Nelson, a Stearns County Jail social worker, on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

6/10:John, left, talks with Marsha Nelson, a Stearns County Jail social worker, about obtaining help on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

7/10:Ahmed Ibrahim, left, talks with Nystrom & Associates on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

8/10:Ahmed Ibrahim, left, talks with Bo Jedinak, Crow Wing County Jail sergeant of programs, on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

9/10:Maggie Chapin, a Crow Wing County Jail social worker, talks with an inmate about the services located in the community on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

10/10:Crow Wing County Jail 2nd Lt. Miranda Neuwirth and Bo Jedinak, sergeant of programs, talk on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in the Crow Wing County Jail. Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

The transition fair ran from about 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a break around noon where the vendors were given a tour of the jail and ate a jailhouse lunch. Each pod of inmates was given about an hour to talk with the different vendors. The program was extended this year to give inmates more time to talk with the vendors.

“It ended up doing pretty well,” Jedinak said. “I think we had a total of 50 inmates come over that period, which is about half our population at that time, so that's pretty good. And we had some really good feedback that came back from our vendors.”

From substance abuse, to mental health and homeless progams, the vendors at the transition fair worked to cover all the bases of inmate needs. They included Bridges of Hope, Nystrom & Associates, both Crow Wing and Stearns county reentry programs, victim services from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Diversion Solutions, Lighthouse Beginnings and Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program.

Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

John, a Stearns County inmate housed in Crow Wing County Jail who asked that his last name not be published, was talking with the Stearns County Re-entry program about finding help to get to Wisconsin after being released from custody.

Looking at being released that week, John said he was 15 months sober and was talking with Marsha Nelson, a Stearns County Jail social worker at the Stearns County re-entry program booth, about how he could facilitate his travel.

“Here, I know where to find drugs easily,” John said. “In Wisconsin, I would not, so there would be that extra barrier to help me stay sober. … I just need some more time being sober before coming back to Minnesota.”

Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

John thanked her for helping to relieve some of the stress he had, saying he was touched to hear there was help available.

Inmate Deionte Parker said he did not know there were these types of resources available and said he wished he had learned of them sooner as he “did what was needed to survive” while homeless.

Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

“I'm glad the younger generation has the opportunity to help themselves,” Parker said. “There are a lot of people with mental health needs in here, me included.”

Parker said it was nice to meet the people providing the resources in person as they ask in-depth questions, and he would like to build some rapport before going down that road.

“There is so much help here that people may not know about,” inmate David Croft said.

Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch

Croft said he only wishes the transition fair would happen more often than once a year, to give more inmates the opportunity to learn about the resources available to them.

Jedinak said that was one thing he did get feedback on from the inmates. He said they would look into doing something more regularly, though it gets difficult to get vendors in as they, too, are dealing with staffing and scheduling issues.

The issue of trying to schedule around 18 to 25 different vendors and what their availability is makes hosting the event multiple times a year a bit difficult, Jedinak said — though on the jail side they are always ready to have groups come in to speak to the inmates.

TIM SPEIER, staff writer, can be reached on Twitter @timmy2thyme , call 218-855-5859 or email tim.speier@brainerddispatch.com .

Tim Speier joined the Brainerd Dispatch in October 2021, covering Public Safety.