New legislation that took effect last week makes it clear who can access the City Justice Center in downtown St. Louis and when.
Mayor Tishaura Jones signed the two pieces of legislation on July 31. Both contain language that allows them to take effect immediately.
The first bill ensures that attorneys can speak to clients being held at the downtown jail or other correctional facilities between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. without getting prior approval. Visits outside of those times would require just an hour’s notice, as would all visits in which the attorney wanted to meet with their client without any kind of physical barrier. Attorneys would also be able to bring in their phones and laptops.
“This bill doesn’t do anything crazy,” said its sponsor, 7th Ward Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier. “Honestly I think what is a little crazy is the fact that we have to legislate constitutional rights.”
The language codifies an April 2024 order from 22nd Circuit Judge Elizabeth Hogan. Any jail employee who denies an attorney access to clients could face fines of up to $500.
Sonnier said she hoped that putting the financial responsibility on a person, rather than the city, would make people think twice about blocking access.
A companion bill sets up similar guidelines for jail access by local elected officials, the Detention Facilities Oversight Board and clergy members.
The sponsor of that bill, 14th Ward Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, said: “While jail is not a place that should be a luxury, it also should not be a place that is inhumane. And I think this is another step that this Board of Aldermen can take to move forward to ensure that we have transparency.”
Activists have raised concerns about conditions at the jail for months, and the oversight board finally secured access to an interview with a detainee in April — nearly three years after its creation.
A spokesman for Corrections Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah said the jail will work within the bounds of the new ordinances.
