St. Louis moving 120 inmates to workhouse after disturbance

ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis has begun moving roughly 120 detainees back to its old city jail amid repeated security breaches at the newer downtown justice center.

The the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Medium Security Institution was reopened less than two months after St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones declared victory on a campaign promise to “close the workhouse.”

Critics had warned that the City Justice Center couldn’t yet handle the full load because it was understaffed and could become overcrowded.

They also cited its inadequate safety features. Friday evening when inmates on the third floor jimmied locks and escaped their cells and caused a disturbance with other inmates.

The incident marked at least the sixth disturbance at the downtown jail in eight months.