St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson confirmed to government officials this week the Workhouse will not close by the end of this month.
St. Louis’ Medium Security Institution, more commonly known as “the Workhouse,” has operated on Hall Street near the Mississippi riverfront since 1966.
The Board of Aldermen passed Board Bill 92 unanimously on July 17. The bill was based on a plan by the the group known as the Close the Workhouse Campaign. The bill also establishes two funds of $7.6 million to address neighborhood safety and re-entry programs for inmates.
Krewson told several government officials Wednesday during the monthly Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting that the jail will not close on Dec. 31. About 100 inmates are currently being held at the Workhouse.
After summarizing previous updates done to facilities at the Workhouse and mentioning a study that looked at what exactly the city’s needs are when it comes to jails, Krewson then addressed the issue of closing it on Dec. 31.
She said Corrections Commissioner Dale Glass is exploring the option of transferring those 100 inmates to a jail in Kentucky, which is about a four-hour drive from St. Louis. Krewson noted that Glass doesn’t think this is a good solution, but they will continue to consider it until a more suitable alternative is available.
“The long and short of this update is that we have a lot of things in the works but right now we have 100 detainees that are at MSI and we are not going to overcrowd [City Justice Center] and put people on the floor on mattresses in order just to close MSI in 10 days.”
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green argued with each other during the meeting, sparked by comments Green made accusing the Board of Aldermen of passing the ordinance for show, without real intention of following through.
“I don’t know what the next steps are, Madame Mayor, in terms of getting a step closer to closing MSI but I think we need to get definition to that — if in fact the ordinance had any meaning at all,” Green said.
“But as it stands now, I would declare that there was no meaning to that board bill or that ordinance that was signed, and the public should feel that some of these board bills that are signed before an election… are just gestures.”
Reed said he was insulted by Green’s comments and said that a lot of work has been put into the effort and that they could not have predicted the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s this kind of politics played on big issues that continue to hurt our city,” Reed said, noting the board and Glass are working on plans in order to get the Workhouse closed.
Krewson pointed out that the job of actually closing the Workhouse is the responsibility of the the mayor’s office.