Jackson County jail a ‘cesspool’ of germs as COVID outbreak infects dozens, inmate says
A COVID-19 survivor at the Jackson County jail said during the nine days he was isolated, there were no cleaning supplies and his medical care amounted to three temperature checks.
The Jackson County Detention Center is listed by the local health department as an outbreak site associated with 144 cases.
The man, who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation, said he was moved to an isolation pod after he tested positive for the coronavirus last month.
“There was nothing that was done to sterilize the living facility,” he said during a call from the jail. “We had no hot showers to take. It was just like one big cesspool full of germs and bacteria.”
Showers were freezing and getting a bar of soap depends on the mood of the corrections officers or having commissary funds, he said.
The CDC recommends hygiene supplies be provided in bathrooms, dining areas, common rooms and other areas of detention facilities. Facilities should also follow guidance on isolation as well as provide medical evaluation and treatment for those who test positive.
The man said his symptoms turned out to be mild including a loss of taste and some sniffles.
During an incident late last month, a corrections officer maced an inmate in the isolation pod, the man said. He wondered why a chemical irritant was deployed in a pod of positive patients and said he thought a more peaceful resolution would have been possible.
After nine days — less than the CDC’s recommended medical isolation time for those with the virus — the man said he was moved back to his regular unit. As he was transferred, another group of positive patients was moved into the pod.
“It was a revolving door,” he said. “As soon as they got the next rush of people, they were trying to get us out of there.”
Sheriff Darryl Forté said the jail continues to follow CDC guidelines as well as advice from medical staff. Additionally, weekly testing continues to be conducted and corrections officers are required to wear masks.
“Cleaning of the detention center is sufficient and all inmates are receiving proper care,” he said. “All inmates have been provided a mask to help prevent the inmate from getting or spreading the virus.”
“The safety, security and wellness of all remain a priority.”
Advocates have called for some inmates in jails and prisons to be released amid the pandemic. Back in April, advocates in Kansas sent a letter to Gov. Laura Kelly and the Department of Corrections suggesting that releasing some inmates — particularly those at higher risk — would make social distancing easier for those remaining in the jail while protecting the estimated 39-43% of inmates who have underlying health conditions. Similar calls were made in Missouri.
More than 80% of the inmates at the Jackson County Jail haven’t been convicted of a crime and simply await a trial, according to the most recent data from Jackson County.
Amy Breihan, co-director with the Missouri office of the MacArthur Justice Center, said many people behind bars are only there because they cannot afford bond.
“There’s a huge amount of responsibility that lies on the hands of the prosecutors and the judges who are helping to lock people up pre-trial even where folks don’t need to be,” she said. “They’re supposed to be making a determination about whether someone was a flight risk or a risk to the community and if not, they should allow them to remain in the community or consider alternatives to detention pre-trial.”
Last year, the Missouri Supreme Court issued guidelines saying judges should impose the least restrictive conditions for release.
As of Thursday, the jail had 774 inmates, according to Capt. Christopher Wolfe. That put it about 17% over its recommended operational capacity.
“Prisons and jails are just the kinds of environments that are hotbeds for the spread of infectious diseases,” Breihan said. “Everyone is housed closely together, they’re poorly ventilated, they’re unsanitary, there’s not great medical care to begin with and so you’ve got to reduce the prison population, you’ve got to reduce the jail population. It’s just absolutely necessary.”
An order issued earlier in the pandemic, which released anyone with a $5,000 bond or less, was recently extended, said Mike Mansur, spokesman for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Additionally, eligibility for rehabilitation programs has been expanded and is being offered more quickly, and some defendants facing higher class felonies have been released on house arrest, Mansur said.
Valerie Hartman, the spokeswoman for Jackson County Circuit Court, said the court had no comment on how bond is being set.
The inmate who spoke with The Star said the only way he could pay a $40,000 cash-only bond for a weapons charge was if he got “a check from Ed McMahon.”
His trial is scheduled for October 2021.
“I’m not here for something that warrants the death penalty,” the man said.
