ST. LOUIS — Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick released his report after a roughly nine-month investigation into the St. Louis City Justice Center.
While the report did not find evidence of fraud, it highlighted other problems that required more investigation.
In October, Fitzpatrick opened an investigation into the St. Louis City Justice Center to look into these complaints involving fraud, health care, meals, staffing and a lack of access for the Detention Facilities Oversight Board.
“I applaud Sen. Steve Roberts for calling for the audit and fully supported the investigation,” Detention Facilities Oversight Board Chairperson the Rev. Darryl Gray said.
Gray said the results were further evidence of the board's lack of access to investigate and showed the problems it has been sounding the alarm about.
“We felt that we were vindicated," Gray said. "The medical, it spoke very clearly about some of the medical concerns. The fact that the former contractor had major issues and problems, the fact that they're still looking to confirm a contract with someone."
The audit said the former contractor, YesCare, did not extend its agreement after the city filed a lawsuit against the company in June 2023 for negligence after a detainee died by suicide.
It also cited several reasons for the denial, saying CJC staffing challenges prevented them from giving basic care to detainees and health professionals felt unsafe after incidents like being locked in housing units without custody staff being present.
When it comes to food service at the jail, the investigation found that invoices, meal count and menus show the contractor provided the correct amount of food but additional investigation is needed.
The investigation could not conclusively determine whether or not meal service changed after incidents at the jail.
Alfred Montgomery worked for the sheriff's office and saw firsthand how issues with meal service affected people.
“Some of them complain about not eating for days, some of them are complaining about not being able to shower, and the average human brain, if they're under this type of stress, you have to expect behaviors to occur,” Montgomery said.
The report's conclusion highlights staffing shortages as the root cause of many of the CJC's problems.
Its policy is a 10-to-1 detainees to corrections officers ratio, and the Justice Center has remained below that, anywhere from a 4-to-1 ratio to an 8-to-1 ratio. It has had significant drops in total officers, from 123 in 2022 to 74 in 2023.
Sheriff Vernon Betts said in a statement, “The state audit of the St. Louis City Justice Center confirms what I already know to be true: The city jail conditions are appalling.”
Betts added, “The mayor and the director of the Department of Corrections are violating the fundamental rights of detainees, putting city employees in danger and denying city taxpayers real transparency and oversight regarding the operations of the jail. This appalling failure must be corrected immediately or lives will be lost and public safety will be endangered.”
Gray said the board has seen what low staffing means for detainees.
“What the low staff complement means is you have over 700 detainees who are being locked in their cells for 20 to 23 hours a day. No recreation, no phone calls, no visits, you can't go outside because this building doesn't allow you to go outside like the workhouse did. So, you have over 700 people who are stuck in a cage for almost all day, every day. That's a recipe for disaster, the increased stress and anger,” Gray said.
Montgomery said he’s also seen mistreatment of detainees.
“Most of the time when it comes to any business, when it comes to shortage of staff, we have to look at why these individuals are leaving, or what's the root cause of their employees are leaving. The CJC, the only difference in the CJC and the other businesses in the CJC is more vital here to our city. We need it to be fully staffed in order to operate effectively and efficiently and to keep everyone safe,” Montgomery said.
He said he hopes this report can become the blueprint for change.
A spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura Jones sent this statement in response to the findings: "As expected, the Auditor's investigative summary found no indication of fraud on behalf of the City. We share the staffing concerns raised by the Auditor and continue to work aggressively to hire more correctional officers, including an increase in salaries. Timely and effective healthcare for those in custody is essential to the operation of the Justice Center, which is why Mayor Jones’ administration partnered with a new healthcare provider, Physician Correctional USA, in December 2023. An additional $2 million in funding and multiple new positions has allowed the Department of Health to provide oversight to ensure the new provider has greatly increased the level of care provided to detainees at CJC. The DFOB, which Mayor Jones established in 2021, has recently sworn in two new members, and their first meeting will be held September 16th. We are excited to strengthen our collaboration with that Board. In addition, Mayor Jones signed Executive Order 79 on March 23, 2024, mandating certain actions by the DFOB and the Oversight Division. We are working to ensure the Division of Oversight is fully able to execute its authorities outlined in Ordinance 71749 and Executive Order 79.”
Find Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's investigative summary below: