The leader of the St. Louis County jail says the facility needs millions in funding over the next five years for critical improvements.
Jonel Coleman, acting director of the St. Louis County Justice Services Department, presented the department’s 2025 and 2026 budgets to the St. Louis County Council Budget Committee this week. She outlined the need for more staff, greater training, increased mental health resources, new clothing for residents and building maintenance.
The jail’s current year-to-date budget is $40.4 million — and only 71% of that has been spent as of late October, mostly due to unfilled positions, the reduction of uniform purchases and reduced staff dining. The proposed 2026 budget, at just over $41.3 million, reflects a 2% increase. Coleman said the increased funding would include investments to meet mandated compliance standards and reduce long-term financial liabilities for the county.
Staffing shortages remain a significant challenge, Coleman said, noting that out of 387 overall positions at the department, 22% are vacant. Meanwhile, she said the jail currently has 260 correctional officer positions, and 27% of those are vacant. Coleman told the Budget Committee that limited staffing creates an unsustainable environment for employees and legal liability for the county.
“This increases the risk of delayed medical care and adequate supervision and forced reliance on undertrained staff,” Coleman said to the committee on Tuesday. “We are aggressively pursuing staffing solutions, attending quarterly job fairs, launching a recruiting video … to close the (correctional officer) vacancy gap.”
Building maintenance needed
The jail, located inside the Buzz Westfall Justice Center on South Central Avenue in Clayton, houses more than 1,300 inmates. It is the only jail in Missouri accredited by the American Correctional Association for ALDF — adult local detention facilities.
However, recently reported maintenance issues mean that accreditation could be in question. County officials said the jail failed an ACA inspection in September due to a lack of cleanliness and leaky showers.
Coleman said Tuesday that her office is still awaiting a full copy of the ACA report but that jails age more rapidly than other facilities, resulting in a breakdown of equipment and systems.
Coleman reported that a properly constructed jail lasts about 30 years, and in three years, the St. Louis County jail will be at the end of its lifespan. In collaboration with the Public Works department, she said several building maintenance issues were identified.
“Our whole jail requires flush controls, which are estimated at $16 million,” she said. “We need sprinkler modifications which are approximately $12.5 million. We need to epoxy our showers, which is about $450,000. We request to reallocate $200,000 to directly assist Public Works with urgent facility repairs.”
She said the department is unique in the sense that people live there, and jail leaders have a responsibility to detainees as members of the community to provide for their well-being.
“This is why 55% of our requested budget is dedicated to housing, reflecting the essential nature of providing continuous shelter, security and basic needs,” Coleman said.
Training and mental health
County jail officials requested to reallocate $50,000 to provide staff members with training to help them assist detainees struggling with mental health issues.
Coleman said, on average, more than 80% of the county jail population has endured adverse childhood experiences and other mental health conditions, which are exacerbated by incarceration. And up to 36% have serious mental illnesses.
“Our officers need extensive training, not only in the hard skills such as the proper use of force, but also in the soft skills such as CIT mental health, first aid, interpersonal communication and de-escalation techniques.“
Evidence shows that trauma-informed approaches reduce critical incidents and the need for restraint or seclusion, which significantly reduces the risk of high-cost civil rights litigation and officer injury,” Coleman added. “This funding would allow us to train staff to become certified instructors in topics such as trauma-informed care and de-escalation, creating a long-term self-sufficient program that would align with the 2050 goal of developing strong and healthy residents.”
Tariff spikes
Coleman said the jail could be facing higher operational costs due to international tariffs on essential items like clothing and toilet paper, even as they purchase from American companies.
Many of their products come from overseas distributors, Coleman said. Most of the additional tariffs are at 50%, with the exception of clothing and linen, which is at 20%.
This means a uniform that previously cost $13.60 will now cost $20.40. A blanket that cost $6.47 will now cost $9.70. Footwear that previously cost $3.94 will now cost $5.91, and a case of toilet paper that previously cost $46.80 will now cost $70.20. Currently, Coleman said the jail is not paying the higher prices that include the tariffs.
However, she said that unless there is a change to legislation, her vendors have said these increases are coming.
“Unfortunately, we can only forecast how much the tariffs will affect our bottom line,” Coleman said. “Most of our vendors purchase surplus inventory in preparation, but if the current tariffs hold, these are the numbers that we will be facing. Changing companies is not a likely solution, as these tariffs apply to all companies bringing in these products. There is some good news with our hygiene products. Some of those companies are looking at countries that have lower tariffs, so we may be able to find some savings.”
The St. Louis County Council’s Justice Health and Welfare Committee will continue discussions about the Justice Service Department’s proposed budget next month.
