St. Louis, Mo – November 22, 2024
Who: Concerned community members and social justice organizations convened by Freedom Community Center are urging the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen and the Jones Administration to take immediate and comprehensive action to address inhumane and deadly conditions at the City Justice Center (CJC) jail.
What: Rally inside of City Hall, followed by a press conference (location TBD)
Press conference details:
- Tracy Stanton, Spoken Word Artist
- Mike Milton, Freedom Community Center
- Inez Bordeaux, Impacted Resident
- ML Hunt, Missourians Against The Death Penalty
- Janis Mensah, (formerly) Detention Facilities Oversight Board
- T-Dubb-O, Freedom Community Center
- Reverend Tracy Blackmon
- Maya Lee, Freedom Community Center
When: Friday, November 22, 2024 (times are approximate)
Press conference at 12PM
Rally at 10:45AM
Where: City Hall (1200 Market St, St. Louis, MO 63103)
Why: According to recent reporting from St. Louis Public Radio, 18 people have died in custody under highly concerning circumstances since the beginning of 2020. These deaths, and the lack of transparency from City officials, are a direct result of systemic failures, neglect, and mismanagement.
Recent data places CJC as three times deadlier than the jails in St. Louis County and Kansas City, Missouri.
Despite previous calls for transparency and accountability, the City of St. Louis has repeatedly underreported, obfuscated, and withheld from the public information about people dying in City custody and the horrific conditions of the jail. Of the 18 people who have died, only 11 names have been made public. Even less information is known about the circumstances, dates, and the status of investigations of these deaths.
Advocates plan to raise awareness of these concerns and present a formal letter to the Jones Administration on Friday morning at City Hall.
The letter calls for the Jones’ Administration to develop and implement plans for improvement in four areas:
- Jail Conditions
- Grievance Process
- Access for the Oversight Board (Detention Facilities Oversight Board aka DFOB)
- Reduce Jail Population/Alternatives to Incarceration
More details on the demands include:
- Immediate Improvement of Jail Conditions: It is imperative that immediate steps be taken to address the deplorable conditions that have contributed to these deaths. This includes ensuring access to medical care, improving sanitation, and providing adequate food and water to people detained.
- The elimination of “23 and 1” lockdowns
- The elimination of the use of OC spray (mace)
- Adequate and proper access to counsel
- Review of Grievances Made by People Detained: There must be a thorough and transparent process to ensure that detainees’ grievances are taken seriously, addressed promptly, and not retaliated against. The lack of such oversight has contributed to a climate of fear and disregard for basic human rights within the facility.
- Detention Facility Oversight Board Access: The Detention Facility Oversight Board must be given unfettered access to the facility and all relevant records to conduct independent audits, monitor conditions, and hold the administration accountable.
- Reduction of Jail Population with Supported Release: The rising jail population of the jail has only exacerbated its inhumane conditions. We demand that the administration take immediate steps to reduce the jail population by expanding access to supported release programs, pretrial services, and other alternatives to incarceration. We call on the Mayor’s to work intently with the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, the Circuit Attorney’s Office, and community organization to stop over incarceration, dramatically reduce ‘No Bond Allowed’ bail determinations, to increase pretrial release. The plan should include strategies to reduce over policing and criminalization of St. Louis residents that disproportionately affect Black and poor communities.
Follow the conversation online using #NoMoreJailDeaths.
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Media Contact:
Z Gorley, ArchCity Defenders
(314) 643-2463
zgorley@archcitydefenders.org