ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis City Budget Director Paul Payne presented the 2022 budget to new Mayor Tishaura Jones. Her top priority, closing the Medium Security Institution on Hall Street.
In a statement Jones says “Since 2016, I have called for the closure of the Workhouse due to inhumane conditions, including broken plumbing, inadequate medical care, moldy food and contaminated water; not to mention a toxic culture of abuse, retaliation and neglect among correctional staff. The injustice caused by these dehumanizing conditions are compounded by the fact that most city detainees have not been convicted of any crime, with an average length of stay running longer than 300 days. I am proud to begin the process of divesting our city from our expensive arrest and incarcerate model, and pledge to shift time, energy and money towards a public safety strategy focused on addressing the root causes of violent crime.”
Paul Payne says the closure of MSI "would be consolidating all personnel to the City Justice Center, which would be a net cut of 90 vacant positions, and not including the security contract, that would be a reduction of $3.1 million." Payne says this adds $1.4 million for contractual detainee housing for those for the capacity that's not able to be absorbed at CJC, and provides also, correctional investigation unit of five positions over the civilian oversight board for about $300,000."
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In a news release Jones says "the roughly $7.8 million in savings from the closure of the Workhouse is proposed to be reallocated as follows:
• Approx. $4 million to balance the city’s budget
• Approx. $2 million kept in the budget for medical services and meals for detainees
• Approx. $1.8 million toward the Mayor’s priorities:
• $1.3 million toward the Division of Supportive Reentry, which will support social workers, case management, mental health services, childcare, and other wraparound services.
• $0.3 million for doubling the Civilian Oversight Board budget to increase the capacity of correctional investigators looking into acts of retaliation and neglect within St. Louis City jails.
• $.15 million for community visioning planning around improvements to the Workhouse, Municipal Courts, and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters.
The 2022 budget also fully funds police body cameras for St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers.
The Board of Estimate and Apportionment will hold a budget hearing, which is open to public comment this Friday and 10:00 am. If you wish to comment send an email, no later than Thursday at Noon. Includes your name, address, email contact address and a brief description of the topic to the Board of E&A Secretary, Ms. Stephanie Green, at GreenSte@stlouis-mo.gov; or call 314-622-4245 and leave a message with the above information.
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