Missouri Department of Corrections Archives

Parson expects more cases of coronavirus could pop up in Missouri prisons

March 26, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Last week, the state Department of Corrections reported an inmate at the St. Joseph prison in northwest Missouri tested positive for COVID-19. During an interview today with Gov. Mike Parson, he says it might not be the last one within Missouri’s prison system.

Parson expects more cases of coronavirus could pop up in Missouri prisons

“We knew that the prisons, the nursing homes, your seniors are the most vulnerable people here to get this virus,” says Parson. “So we were somewhat prepared for that. So as soon as we got that, they were isolation. They were taken to isolation and are figuring out who they had been around.”

Parson says prevention is key.

“This is a virus,” says Parson. “So we know, no matter where you’re at, people are going to get the virus, no matter whether you live in rural Missouri, urban Missouri, whether you’re in prison, whether you’re in a normal daily life environment.”

The St. Joseph prisoner is the first reported case of COVID-19 among MODOC offenders. There are no reported cases of COVID-19 among staff. The department says medical and custody staff followed all safety protocols to minimize exposure.

Parson says the state is trying to find out how the prisoner got the virus.

The governor says he’s not aware of any others within Missouri’s prisons testing positive for the respiratory disease. The state operates 21 prisons with about 26,000 offenders.

Missouri prison inmate tests positive for COVID-19

March 23, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) says an inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus. This notification marks the first reported case of COVID-19 among MODOC offenders. There are no reported cases of COVID-19 among staff.

MODOC spokesperson Karen Pojmann tells Missourinet the offender has been sick for a long time with multiple medical conditions and the department does not know how the man contracted the disease.

Missouri prison inmate tests positive for COVID-19

The offender is currently being treated at a Kansas City area hospital, where he was admitted March 19. Before being hospitalized, he was being monitored for a suspected respiratory condition and had been isolated in a negative airflow chamber at Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center in northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph since March 4. No other prisoners have had contact with the infected person since March 4, according to the department.

The Missouri Department of Corrections says medical and custody staff have followed all safety protocols to minimize exposure. According to MODOC, staff interacting with the offender have worn personal protective equipment in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. All rooms and vehicles the offender occupied were immediately sanitized. All staff who have been in contact with the infected offender have been notified.

The prison has roughly 1,600 inmates.

The department says preventative measures in place to deal with the coronavirus include screening of all staff members and anyone else seeking entrance to MODOC facilities, offices and other properties; enforcement of strict sanitization schedules at each facility with cleaning supplies recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the suspension of offender visits; the suspension of internal transfers; and close monitoring of all offenders and staff, with isolation procedures in place to protect offenders and staff from anyone exhibiting signs of a communicable disease. Corizon Health, which provides offender medical care at all MODOC facilities, is equipped with tests, medical supplies, personal protective equipment and a pandemic protocol.

Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak, MODOC will post public updates on its website.

Missouri racks up $32 million in county jail bills

February 24, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The state owes Missouri counties more than $32 million for housing and transporting inmates who end up going to state prison. Missouri’s tab has been a problem for years, but the amount has grown in recent years by a significant amount. In October 2017, Missourinet reported the state was about six months behind in paying its county jail bills with an overall $19 million dollar deficit.

Missouri racks up $32 million in county jail bills

The shortfall stems from Missouri being the only state in the country that repays counties for part of the daily local jail cost – about $22 – to house prisoners who eventually head to state prison. The average daily local jail cost in Missouri is around $50.

The state House Subcommittee on County Prison Per Diem Reimbursement is trying to find ways to shrink the overall cost the state is piling on. The solutions vary among state elected officials as to how to reduce the financial gap.

During a hearing today, Representative Don Mayhew, R-Crocker, says the state needs to pay its bills.

“I don’t know how we got in this position in the first place, but now we’ve got to get ourselves out of it.”

Several county officials attended to speak about the matter. A couple of them said their counties could not get away with falling behind on their bills and neither should the state.

Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill says the state owes his county is about $1 million.

“Boone County is dependent upon sales tax for almost 70% of its total revenue,” says Atwill. “For the last five years, that has not increased but our population has increased in that same five-year period by 10,000 residents. We’re in a budgetary squeeze and this is a big part of it. So, we need your help.”

Atwill says Boone County relies on the state tremendously to fill this void.

“The buck doesn’t stop here in Boone County,” says Atwill. “We’re at ground level. We’re the earthworms of government and a lot of things roll downhill to us that we just have to deal with and this is one of them. It wouldn’t be so bad if this were the only thing that we were dealing with.”

Franklin County Presiding Commissioner Tim Brinker says the state owes his county about $400,000.

“We are just underway completing a $35 million jail expansion in Franklin,” he says. “We have a jail with capacity right now – a maximum of 130 that we’ve stuffed 217 in it in a given day.”

Calloway County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungerman says the state owes his county about $328,000 from at least the past year.

“Right now, the fear is we’re going to lose it all. We can’t lose it all,” he says. “We’re willing to sit down and talk about the situation and try to figure some things out, but to say that it’s gone is not the correct answer because it’s going to cause many jails to shut down probably.”

Jungerman says the daily cost increases if his jail is short staffed and overtime is needed. Rising utility, meals and healthcare costs also jack up the price. Jungerman says the rising costs are felt by other Missouri jails, not just his.

“We’re booking about 2,800 people a year through our lovely hotel,” he says. “There are many counties across the state in the last few years that have run bond issues because of jail issues. I can’t speak for all those counties, but they passed. But I’ll speak for Callaway County. The general public, the voters of our counties, still believe that criminals need to be in a jail.”

The Department of Corrections gets a set amount of money each quarter to dole out to counties. When the money is out, counties must wait until the next quarter for the chance at getting what they are owed.

What you need to know about Parson’s proposed prison budget

January 24, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson’s proposed state budget of $30.5 billion includes $825 million to fund the Missouri Department of Corrections and the 21 prisons it operates. The plan is about a $44 million increase compared to the current fiscal year.

What you need to know about Parson’s proposed prison budget

Parson wants to reduce the number of housing units within Missouri’s prison system. During a House subcommittee hearing, Department of Corrections Budget Director Trevor Foley says the proposal would close twelve housing units statewide.

“The Department is requesting a total of 1,756 bed reduction at six sites,” says Foley. “This has a savings of 131 FTE on an annual basis. At six-and-a-half million dollars that the department is then requesting to reinvest in a number of priorities.”

Priorities include upgrading the department’s employee phone system, security measures, officer radios, and protective vests for probation and parole workers.

Parson’s budget plan for the fiscal year beginning in July would slash a total of 137 job vacancies within the department.

“Similar to last year, the Department’s intention is there would be no staff layoffs,” says Foley. “Of the 131 FTE reduction, 128 positions at the same job class, at the same job site are vacant today. So, we will have over five months to attrite three, which we’re reasonably confident is doable.”

FTE stands for full-time employees.

The proposed Corrections budget would put an additional $211,000 towards covering staff overtime costs with the overall price tag being about $6.5 million. The governor wants to double the amount of retention pay for workers to an overall $18.2 million.

Parson is proposing $200.7 million for the Division of Offender Rehabilitative Services – a nearly $5.5 million dollar reduction over the current year. Substance misuse and recovery services would get an additional $118,000. Community-based corrections programs would get an extra $325,000.

Parson’s plan would give parole board operations a $1.7 million increase compared to the current amount of 0.

Lawmakers are reviewing Parson’s state budget blueprint for the fiscal year that begins in July. Legislative budget hearings continue next week.

Other budget stories:

What you need to know about Parson’s proposed K-12 schools budget
https://wp.me/p16gMv-w3T

Missouri law enforcement group and state on different pages about release of prisoners

January 14, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The State Department of Corrections and Missouri Sheriffs Association have very different accounts about the release of convicted felons from prison. Kevin Merritt, executive director of the Missouri Sheriffs Association, says many convicted felons are getting out of the state’s prisons too soon. He says changes in state law and Department of Corrections policies are making Missouri’s communities more dangerous.

According to Merritt, some prisoners are eligible for parole after serving 15% of their sentence.

Missouri law enforcement group and state on different pages about release of prisoners

“Right now the rule of thumb is, when an individual goes to the Department of Corrections as a convicted felon, they’re serving approximately a month to a month and a half for every year that they were sentenced to prison,” says Merritt.

Department of Corrections Director Anne Precythe tells Missourinet the average stay varies upon the crime but says the average length each prisoner serves has increased over the past five years to 53%.

“The courts, who sentence offenders, they’re the ones who determine the length of the sentence within statutory requirements and then the Parole Board is making those informed, evidence-based decisions about whether someone is allowed to be released to the community,” she says.

Last year, the Legislature passed a measure scrapping mandatory minimum sentences for some nonviolent crimes. It also recently overhauled the state’s criminal code and added a Class E felony. Both efforts affect Missouri’s overall prison population.

The changes followed lengthy work in 2017 by stakeholders within the criminal justice system to find ways to trim the state’s increasing levels of incarceration. The process included judges, legislators, law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders, corrections and mental health officials and others. In July 2017, Missouri’s total prison population was about 34,000, compared to the current count of roughly 26,000.

“We were facing a crisis,” says Precythe. “We were looking at having to build two new prisons. That would have cost the state about $500 million that we don’t have. But we are still pursuing good criminal justice reform practices. We’re not doing anything crazy within the department. Really, the goal of criminal justice reform is, is to get the low-risk, non-violent people out of prison and save that space and those monies for the violent, repeat offenders.”

Merritt tells Missourinet the state agency is not penalizing parole violators enough after testing positive for drugs.

“DOC and the Probation and Parole Division and the Parole Board, they are releasing convicted felons like they’re giving out get out of jail free cards,” Merritt says. “Not violating parole offenders for testing positive for drugs – that’s a policy decision out of Department of Corrections. We don’t want new laws. We just want the laws that are on the books to be enforced and we want bad policy decisions to be addressed.”

Precythe says probation and parole practices have not changed.

“They are being carried out, as they always have been, in accordance with the Missouri Constitution and state law. Just like law enforcement affords people due process when they’re arrested for a crime, the Parole Board is affording people due process when they’re out of compliance with their terms of supervision,” says Precythe.

Merritt points to two recent criminal cases as examples – one in northwest Missouri’s Nodaway County and the other in southwest Missouri’s Stone County.

Merritt goes on to say the state refuses to take parole violators back to prison after they are captured for a parole arrest warrant.

“They will require the sheriff to hold that person in the local jail and they will send a probation officer to the local jail to interview the person on the parole warrant to determine if they’re going to follow through on the arrest warrant and actually seek revocation of that person’s parole. So, they’ll come to the jail whenever they get time,” he says.

Once a report is written up, it gets sent to the Parole Board for action.

Precythe says a warrant kicks in for those failing to report an address change, going to treatment or testing positive on a drug test.

“I think that’s where folks want to confuse them and think that all people who violate probation or parole supervision are bad people and deserve to go back to prison when that is not in fact the case. There are some and those people are returned to prison,” says Precythe.

Merritt is working with the Governor’s Office about department policies because he says he wasn’t getting anywhere with the department. He says the agency has an agenda and is sticking to it – to reduce Missouri’s prison population.

Precythe says they are in different philosophical places when it comes to criminal justice and it’s difficult for others to understand the department’s unique role.

Missouri state offices to close at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve

December 23, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor has signed an executive order that closes most state offices on Christmas Eve at 1 p.m.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks to Missourinet on September 23, 2019 at Jefferson City’s Memorial Park (Brian Hauswirth file photo)

“Teresa and I hope this gives our state team members extra time to spend with their loved ones, as it is our family and close friends who truly make Christmas a joyful time of year,” Governor Parson said in a statement. “May we take a moment over the holiday to rejoice, give thanks and reflect on the special relationships we have in our lives. From our family to yours, we wish everyone peace, joy and a very merry Christmas.”

The order does not impact emergency services such as the Missouri State Highway Patrol and state prisons, which operate 24 hours a day.

There are more than 14,000 state employees in Jefferson City, making state government the town’s largest employer. State offices are also closed on Christmas Day, which is one of 12 official state holidays.

Click here to read Governor Parson’s executive order.

Operation T.O.Y.S. gives mid-Missouri children opportunity to celebrate Christmas (AUDIO)

December 15, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

More than 100 needy children in mid-Missouri’s Cole, Callaway and Osage counties have Christmas presents for themselves and their families, thanks to the annual Operation T.O.Y.S. event at Jefferson City’s Walmart East.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Scott White shops with a child during Operation T.O.Y.S. on December 14, 2019 in Jefferson City (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Saturday’s event featured a law enforcement convoy stretching more than a mile-and-a-half long, with lights and sirens activated. Operation T.O.Y.S., which stands for Taking Our Youth Shopping, is an opportunity for children who otherwise would not be able to celebrate the holidays.

Jefferson City Police officer Les Martin, who coordinates the program, says it continues to grow.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I just love doing this,” Martin says. “It’s about the kids, it’s how we can give back to the kids.”

Fundraising done by Mr. Martin and other officers throughout the year allowed each child to purchase $150 in gifts for family members and themselves.

Nine law enforcement agencies participated in Saturday’s event. They were Jefferson City Police, Cole County Sheriff’s deputies, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Capitol Police, Lincoln University Police, Holts Summit Police, and corrections officers and personnel from three Missouri Department of Corrections facilities: the Algoa, Jefferson City and Tipton Correctional Centers.

The officers who took the children shopping say the kids were buying for their brothers and sisters, before themselves. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Scott White tells Missourinet some of the children bought shoes for their siblings.

“The young man that I had today, the very first thing he picked up was for his one-year-old little brother. So that really shows you where the hearts of these kids are,” says White.

Organizers say the event ensures that children in need are able to have a memorable Christmas. Sergeant White says events like Operation T.O.Y.S. are why most officers became officers.

JCPD officer Martin also noticed the purchasing habits, noting most of the children bought presents for their brothers, sisters and parents.

“It’s about the gift of giving and that’s nice to see in a younger child that they know what that means,” Martin says.

A Missourinet reporter also saw some of the officers dig into their own pockets, to get extra items for the children. Sergeant White says it’s the officers’ pleasure to cover the difference. He says the officers do it with a grateful heart.

The children were also able to meet Santa Claus, elves and McGruff the crime dog.

Martin tells Missourinet he is appreciative to the numerous companies, individuals and fraternal organizations that donated. They include the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #19, the Elks Lodge, Lions Clubs and Kiwanis.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Jefferson City Police officer Les Martin, which was recorded on December 14, 2019 inside Jefferson City’s Walmart East:

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Scott White, which was recorded on December 14, 2019 inside Jefferson City’s Walmart East:

Most Missouri state employees will be off on both Thanksgiving and the following day

November 4, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor has signed an executive order closing state offices on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks to Missourinet on September 23, 2019 at Jefferson City’s Memorial Park (Brian Hauswirth file photo)

Thanksgiving is one of the 12 official state holidays, so Governor Mike Parson’s executive order means most state employees will be off on both Thanksgiving and the following day.

Governor Parson describes Thanksgiving as a time to remember the good things in our lives.

“Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings and be with family and friends. Teresa and I hope this day will be a reminder of all the good that fills our lives. To all of our state team members, we are thankful for your hard work and dedication to serving Missouri. From our family to yours, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving Day weekend and pray that you will continue to be blessed throughout the coming year,” Parson said in a statement.

Click here to read the governor’s executive order.

The order impacts state employees in all 114 counties and St. Louis City. The largest impact is in Jefferson City, which has more than 14,000 state employees. State government is the largest employer in the Capital City.

State prisons will still operate on Thanksgiving Day and Friday, and the order does not impact emergency services such as the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Missouri lawmakers to hear more testimony about county jail reimbursement

August 30, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri corrections officials are scheduled to testify before a legislative committee in Jefferson City in September about county jail reimbursement.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the House floor on March 28, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri Public Defender System Director Michael Barrett says the state has budgeted about $43 million this fiscal year to local jails for holding citizens who are awaiting trial.

Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) budget director Trevor Foley is set to testify before the House Budget Committee on September 10 about the county jail reimbursement program and the issue of electronic monitoring of offenders.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet he also expects sheriffs and county commissioners to be at the hearing, and possibly prosecutors.

Missouri is the only state in the country that reimburses counties for a portion of the defendant’s entire local jail time, while the person’s case goes through the court system.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections Chairwoman Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, tweeted at Missourinet today that this is an issue that state lawmakers want to continue to explore. Walsh says the Legislature budgeted $1.75 million in the current fiscal year to all Missouri counties with unpaid jail reimbursements.

Walsh says she’s invited county commissioners and sheriffs from her mid-Missouri district to the hearing.

Inmates sandbagging again in northeast Missouri’s Clarksville; Mississippi River to crest there Sunday

May 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(Missourinet Quincy affiliate WGEM and Louisiana affiliate KJFM contributed to this story)

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says the Mississippi River at northeast Missouri’s Hannibal is cresting today at about 28.4 feet.

The Mississippi River in northeast Missouri’s Clarksville (file photo courtesy of Clarksville city website)

Missourinet Quincy affiliate WGEM reports about 80 volunteers are back in Hannibal today, filling sandbags for the community and for the Hannibal levee.

Resident Shane Bramblett tells WGEM it’s a community effort.

“So we’re just trying to fill some sand bags to help support levees. We’re probably adding one (to) about two feet to levees right now, so Hannibal, we’ve got a lot of sandbags to fill so we’re trying to get as much support as we can,” Bramblett says.

Marion County highway crews have also brought sandbags to Hannibal to assist in the effort.

Meantime, massive flooding in northeast Missouri’s Clarksville has prompted the state Department of Corrections (DOC) to send more than two dozen inmates to help sandbag in the river town.

DOC spokeswoman Karen Pojmann tells Missourinet that 25 female offenders from the Vandalia prison are currently sandbagging in Clarksville.

The NWS in St. Louis says the Mississippi River at Clarksville is expected to crest at 36.2 feet on Sunday.

Clarksville is a town of about 450 residents.

Missourinet Louisiana affiliate KJFM Radio reports Highway 79 in closed in numerous locations in Louisiana, Clarksville and Elsberry. KJFM also reports Highway 54 at the Champ Clark bridge near Louisiana is also closed.

The flooding is also impacting mail service across northeast Missouri.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) says post offices in La Grange and Clarksville have temporarily closed, due to flooding.

The USPS says mail service in La Grange is temporarily being rerouted to Canton, while mail service in Clarksville is temporarily being rerouted to Louisiana.