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Lawsuit Alleging 'Inhumane' Conditions at a St. Louis Jail

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  The St. Louis mayor's office says a medium-security jail that's the target of a lawsuit over its conditions is inspected multiple times a year and problems are addressed as they arise.

The office of Mayor Lyda Krewson on Monday issued a statement in responses to a lawsuit filed against the jail by former inmates who cited "inhumane conditions," alleging rodent feces in food, infestations of bugs and even snakes, and unbearable overcrowding.

Krewson spokesman Koran Addo says the city Department of Health inspects the jail and the city regularly conducts preventative maintenance.

The federal lawsuit was filed Monday by the nonprofit ArchCity Defenders on behalf of seven former inmates of the St. Louis Medium Security Institution, known as the Workhouse. It seeks closure of the jail and monetary damages.