N.D. Cent. Code § 12-44.1-31

This is the official text of N.D. Cent. Code § 12-44.1-31, part of North Dakota’s Cent. Code — part of the compiled statutory law of North Dakota, published by the state as "Cent. Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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12-44.1-31. Contracts for out-of-state inmates - Requirements

Official statutory text

12-44.1-31. Contracts for out-of-state inmates - Requirements

The governing body of a correctional facility that contracts with another state or a regional

correctional center, county, or city of another state for the confinement of lawfully committed

state, county, or city inmates from the other state is subject to the following conditions:

1. Before a correctional facility may accept an out-of-state inmate, the governing body of

the correctional facility shall approve and sign the contract that authorizes housing

out-of-state inmates.

2. Before accepting an out-of-state inmate, the administrator of the correctional facility

shall review the out-of-state inmate's file and request a nationwide criminal history

background check. The administrator may not accept:

a. Any inmate with a history of escape or attempted escape from official detention

as defined under section 12.1-08-06 or under an equivalent federal statute or

statute of another state;

b. Any inmate with a history of institutional violence, including violence against staff

or other inmates;

c. Any inmate who has pled guilty to, or has been convicted of, a crime of violence.

For the purpose of this section, a crime of violence includes kidnapping and any

violation of any state or federal law when the inmate knowingly or intentionally

inflicted, attempted to inflict, or threatened serious bodily injury, or death, or when

the inmate was armed with a firearm, dangerous weapon, or destructive device;

d. An inmate who has been convicted of aggravated assault involving substantial or

serious bodily injury, and the offense is a felony under the laws of the sending

state or under federal law, unless the administrator has obtained the approval of

the department of corrections and rehabilitation in advance of the placement. The

state of North Dakota and any officer or employee of the department is immune

from any civil liability for damages for personal injury or property damage caused

by an inmate placed in a correctional facility under this subsection;

e. Any inmate who has pled guilty to, or has been convicted of, a sexual offense in

which the victim was a child under the age of fifteen years, or the inmate

compelled, or attempted to compel, the victim to submit by force or by threat of

imminent death, serious bodily injury, or kidnapping, or if in the course of the

offense, the inmate inflicted serious or substantial bodily injury on the victim; or

f. Any inmate who has a documented affiliation as a member of a criminal street

gang as defined under section 12.1-06.2-01 or equivalent statute of another state

or under federal law.

3. Out-of-state inmates may not be permitted to leave the premises of the correctional

facility except to comply with a court order or to receive medical care.

4. The correctional facility may not house out-of-state inmates in the same cells with

inmates of the department of corrections and rehabilitation.

5. A contract under this section must include a requirement that if an out-of-state inmate

is charged with committing a crime while in the custody of the correctional facility, the

sending state shall take custody of the inmate upon the request of the correctional

facility and the written consent of the state's attorney of the county where the

correctional facility is located. If the sending state takes custody of the inmate and the

state's attorney requests the inmate be returned to this state for prosecution, the

correctional facility is responsible for the cost of returning the inmate to this state for

prosecution. If an out-of-state inmate is convicted and sentenced to the legal and

physical custody of the department of corrections and rehabilitation for a crime

committed while in the custody of the correctional facility, the correctional facility shall

reimburse the department for its costs to confine the inmate until completion of the

term of imprisonment.
ng the inmate to this state for

prosecution. If an out-of-state inmate is convicted and sentenced to the legal and

physical custody of the department of corrections and rehabilitation for a crime

committed while in the custody of the correctional facility, the correctional facility shall

reimburse the department for its costs to confine the inmate until completion of the

term of imprisonment.

6. The department of corrections and rehabilitation may not assume custody of an

out-of-state inmate placed in a correctional facility in this state under a contract

between the governing body of a correctional facility and a sending state except under

a lawful sentence and judgment of a district court of this state and after notice to the

sending state.

7. If the state or a political subdivision of this state incurs any cost in the investigation or

prosecution of an offense committed by an out-of-state inmate while in the custody of a

contracting correctional facility, the correctional facility shall reimburse the state or

political subdivision for the costs incurred.

8. A contract under this section must include a requirement that the sending state shall

notify the correctional facility of the expiration date of the out-of-state inmate's

imprisonment when the sending state transfers the out-of-state inmate to the

correctional facility and that the sending state shall retake the out-of-state inmate

before the expiration date of the out-of-state inmate's imprisonment.

9. For purposes of this section, "out-of-state inmate" means an individual who is

convicted of a crime in a state other than North Dakota; "sending state" means another

state and includes a city, county, or regional correctional center of another state; and

"correctional facility" means a facility subject to this chapter.

10. The correctional facility shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the state of North

Dakota, its agencies, officers, and employees from and against claims for personal

injury or property damage caused by an out-of-state inmate placed in a correctional

facility under this section.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.