St. Louis County Jail

The cohort of female detainees at the St. Louis County Jail are participating in Missouri's only hands-on beauty training program for those who are incarcerated.

The people imprisoned were supposed to receive rehabilitative mental health services that allow them to stand trial, but they have been found to languish in jails — often for months — without having been found guilty of any crime.

The St. Louis County Department of Justice Services and St. Louis Community College are offering inmates college classes to help them earn an associate degree. Jail officials say the degree program can help get some inmates back on their feet once they are released.

The report by the consulting firm CGL Companies found a clean, orderly and safe facility. The review attributed much of the challenges the jail still faces to understaffing.

Ryan Krull of the Riverfront Times has been digging into the firing of a serial sexual harasser in St. Louis County’s jail.

A former assistant to a county councilwoman and current jail administrator has been charged in an attempted COVID relief kickback plan.

Scott Anders became acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Justice in October, after the retirement of Doug Burris. He is the department’s fourth leader in two years.

The council also Tuesday continued to question funding for the downtown St. Louis convention center.

Jail admissions in St. Louis County declined over the past decade, but the average length of stay increased by 56%.

Bookings at the St. Louis County jail dropped by 47% between February and October during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance. St. Louis County’s average daily jail population also decreased by an average of 30% from 2016 to 2019.