Janis Mensah is the former vice chair of the Detention Facilities Oversight Board for the City of St. Louis. The Detention Facilities Oversight Board was established under then-Mayor Tishaura Jones in 2022 to provide recommendations about operations and conditions at the St. Louis City Justice Center, as well as disciplinary actions for employees in the Division of Corrections.
Mensah was visiting the city jail on Aug. 31, 2023, after 55-year-old Terrence Smith died in custody due to high blood pressure and heart problems, according to the city Medical Examiner’s Office.
Mensah says they were sitting patiently in a jail waiting room to do their site visit when then-Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah instructed staff to call the police and remove them. They were arrested and charged with trespassing and resisting arrest and then taken to St. Louis University Hospital.
Mensah claims they were beaten unconscious by police — but police say they were forced to remove Mensah after they ignored orders and refused to leave the property. A pre-trial conference is set for April 22 and a jury trial is tentatively scheduled for May 12.
The St. Louis City Counselor’s Office, which provides legal representation for the city, including the Mayor’s Office and the Division of Corrections, is listed as the prosecuting party in court dockets. The nonprofit law group ArchCity Defenders, which represents Mensah, pushed to have the office removed as prosecuting attorney, citing a conflict of interest since the office also represents members of the DFOB. The motion was denied last year.
The city's 48th Mayor Cara Spencer was inaugurated on Tuesday and appointed Michael Garvin as interim City Counselor. While Spencer's office has acknowledged STLPR's inquiry, they have not yet provided comment on Mensah’s case.
Mensah sat down with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Lacretia Wimbley to discuss what they experienced, as well as why greater transparency is needed at the city jail, where 19 detainees have died since 2020.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Lacretia Wimbley: It’s been almost two years since you were arrested at the CJC and charged with trespassing and resisting arrest. Walk me through what happened that day.
Janis Mensah: Sure. So on that day, there was an unconfirmed report that there was a death at the facility. So I went to the jail to have the staff confirm whether or not someone died. And while I was waiting to do an oversight visit, the warden, without my knowledge, called the police. After they arrived, they had thrown me to the ground, punched me, and I woke up in the hospital.
Wimbley: What injuries did you suffer?
Mensah: Well I am a relatively small person, about 130 pounds, and these were two male officers that were probably 250 pounds, partially on top of me. So, yeah, physical injuries that lasted past that day.
Wimbley: The St. Louis Board of Aldermen made changes to the Detention Facilities Oversight Board in November 2023 in an effort to streamline training and clarify its role. But still, the board hasn’t met with a detainee at the jail since April 2024. With ordinance changes and several promises made over the years, why has the DFOB struggled to get access to complaints or access to the city jail?
Mensah: It’s certainly not for lack of trying. I think the biggest barrier when I was on the oversight board was the city. So the mayor's office, the director of public safety was Charles Coyle and the then-warden, Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah. A few members of the board did get a tour that was very structured and scheduled, and we didn't actually meet with any detainees. It was just to see the building.
Wimbley: DFOB leaders say they met with Mayor-elect Cara Spencer just before the election last week and were promised greater access to the jail and transparency. Do you have any hope that interim Commissioner of Corrections Doug Burris or Spencer will keep their word?
Mensah: I will say that it is a good sign that the now mayor was interested in meeting with the board. I remember it was very difficult to get any communication from the [former] mayor. It does have potential for good that there are new people in charge: a new mayor, a new city counselor, a new warden of the jail. But I think unless there are real changes to the way the jail is run, or in my opinion, what should happen, the jail is closed, we're still going to have the same issues. There was a death just a few weeks ago.
Wimbley: Nearly half the number of people who died in custody at the city jail lost their lives due to health problems that many jail reform advocates say could have been prevented — like Carlton Bernard, who died in custody in 2023 after not getting access to his diabetes medication in time. What can be done to ensure people get access to medical care in a timely fashion?
Mensah: I think the critical issue is that jail is not a place that supports life. It is not a place where you get care, you get rehabilitation — it is not a place where you leave better or more whole than when you entered.
Wimbley: ArchCity Defenders, which is representing you, says they hope the city dismisses the municipal charges and issues you an apology. How hopeful are you that the charges against you will be dropped?
Mensah: I do have renewed hope now that there is a different mayor. I did get the sense that the old administration was more interested in upholding the status quo than in changing things. I'm hopeful, but I'm still more focused on holding people accountable than hoping that they come through for me.
