St. Louis’ new mayor, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush and several other officials met with detainees at both of the city’s jails Saturday to check out conditions and highlight reform efforts.
Mayor Tishaura Jones said she is particularly concerned about complaints she heard about substandard food and lack of access to medical treatment in the city’s jails. Jones has pledged to close the medium security jail known as the workhouse, which has often been criticized for unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
Her budget proposal presented Wednesday calls for closing it by July 1. Bush said they were told stories about human waste on the floor and saw inadequate health care facilities within the jails.
