Troubled St. Louis Justice Center Sees Another Detainee Death

City officials have not released the man’s identity

Dec 3, 2023 at 12:59 pm

The City Justice Center downtown has seen 11 deaths in two years. DOYLE MURPHY

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Another detainee died at St. Louis’ troubled city jail this morning, the Department of Public Safety said.

The detainee, whose identity has not been released, was found in his cell at the City Justice Center unconscious from an apparent suicide attempt at approximately 6:09 a.m. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 6:47 a.m.

The death comes two days into a new medical provider overseeing healthcare at the facility. Last week, the city announced that Friday was the first day of a new emergency contract with Physician Correctional, USA, which would replace YesCare as the jail's medical provider.

The change was in large part a response to a series of deaths at the embattled jail, including three deaths in six weeks in September. This morning’s death is the eleventh death of a city jail detainee in two years.

Last Tuesday, three members of the city’s Detention Facilities Oversight Board were able to enter the jail after months of being denied access.

One of them, the Reverend Darryl Gray, told the RFT that he’d asked to be shown the medical unit. Instead, he said he and two other board members were “escorted” to the jail’s fifth floor, where no detainees are held, and had a 50-minute conversation with the jail's warden, Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah.

"The health and safety of detainees remain the Division of Corrections’ top priority," Monte Chambers, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said in a statement this morning. "The incident is under investigation and the Medical Examiner’s office has been contacted. Further information will be provided when available."

Last month, in a lengthy interview with KSDK, Clemons-Abdullah was asked directly if she believed the jail was safe for detainees and staff. She responded, “Nothing's ever 100 percent because you don't know people, but I can say when I'm aware of something, I address it.”