St. Louis Inmates Use Toilet Paper And Debris To Escape From Cells

St. Louis inmates used debris, including toilet paper, to stuff the locks on their cells to escape on Friday (July 30).

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, this is the sixth security breach in the past eight months at the City Justice Center in downtown St. Louis. In a news conference, Director of Public Safety, Dan Isom, said it is not practical for officers to constantly check locks and make sure inmates have not tampered with them.

The city's downtown jail has been under repair. Due to the numerous security breaches and construction, city officials said that nearly 140 inmates would be moved to a recently closed jail known as the "workhouse" because it is a safer option.

Twenty-five inmates were involved in Friday's incident, Isom added. When the detainees overcame their cell door locks and refused to listen to corrections officers, officers sprayed the inmates with pepper spray. Officials say no officers or detainees were injured, but one of the third-floor jail pods did have damage.

"It has become clear that the management of debris in the locks (is) not an option," Isom said. "We are moving 18 female detainees and 120 male detainees to the annex on Hall Street, and moving forward, that will allow us to more rapidly fix and upgrade many of the locks inside the (city justice center). It's the best option going forward for a facility that's been neglected for 20 years."

Isom said it was not clear why the inmates rebelled, but in the past, criminal justice reform activists have claimed the protests by detainees were over jail conditions.