STE. GENEVIEVE – The Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement following a visit to the county jail facility by members of Congress and a follow-up news conference before some members of the media. The facility is used to house ICE detainees as well as regular jail inmates. The congressional visitors expressed concern about the quality of care being provided for ICE detainees.
Statement from the Sheriff’s Office:
“We have long felt that we did not need to publicly defend how we operate our Detention Center because we know our facility, and we know the men and women who work there every day. They are professional, ethical, and compassionate. We have established a standard of operation that we refuse to compromise, and until now, we did not feel it required defending.
“However, there comes a point when enough misinformation has been spread that a response becomes necessary.
“We would like to address several claims recently reported by St. Louis media outlets regarding our Detention Center. These reports alleged that:
- Cells are overcrowded
- Individuals are not receiving proper medical care
- Food quality is poor
- The facility was not designed for this population
- Individuals not charged with crimes are housed with those who have been charged
- There is a lack of drinking water
- Pregnant women are not receiving medical care
“First, our facility is routinely inspected by multiple federal agencies. We are inspected by the U.S. Marshals Service twice each year, the Federal Bureau of Prisons annually, and DHS/ICE on a weekly basis. These inspections have occurred consistently for approximately 25 years. In fact, we believe our facility is inspected more frequently than many Missouri Department of Corrections facilities.
“Our Detention Center was specifically engineered and designed to house both individuals charged with crimes and civil detainees. Housing assignments are based on classifications provided by the federal holding agency. That classification process is why we are able to safely and appropriately house criminal detainees alongside individuals being held on federal detainers.
“Regarding the allegation of inadequate access to drinking water, every cell and housing pod in our facility contains sinks with hot and cold running water, as well as toilets. Multiple showers are also available in each pod. Every incarcerated individual is issued their own drinking cup and has continuous access to water from the sinks in their cells. Additionally, each housing unit receives a large cooler of ice daily.
“As for medical care, we currently operate a dedicated medical unit within the Detention Center staffed by:
- Three Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
- One paramedic
- One Deputy who is also an EMT
- One Correctional Officer with medical training assigned to the medical unit
“All of our staff are CPR and AED certified.
“We also contract with an outside correctional healthcare provider, and a physician visits our facility weekly for medical appointments.
“If any incarcerated individual experiences a medical emergency, our medical staff can respond within minutes. If hospitalization is necessary, the ambulance district is located immediately next door, and the hospital is directly across the street. Few facilities are in a better position to provide immediate emergency medical access than ours.
“Since medical care has been questioned publicly, we also want to specifically address the allegations regarding prenatal care for pregnant women housed in our facility.
“Pregnant women are not something new to our facility. We have housed pregnant women for many years before hous(ing) for DHS. Upon intake, pregnant women are given pregnancy testing and immediately started on prenatal vitamins. Authorization requests are promptly submitted to the appropriate federal agency so OB/GYN appointments can be scheduled as quickly as possible. All of the current pregnant women in our custody are seeing an OB/GYN.
“Additionally, pregnant detainees receive:
- Extra mattresses and linens
- High-protein diets
- Additional evening snacks
- Increased medical monitoring and more frequent vital checks
“In many cases, these women receive more consistent medical oversight and nutritional support while in custody than they had prior to arrival.
“Regarding food service, our meals are provided through a contracted food service provider under standards established by our office. Every person housed in our facility receives three hot meals per day totaling approximately 3,800 calories and 130 grams of protein daily. Pregnant detainees receiving high-protein diets may receive as much as 220 grams of protein per day.
“We also accommodate medical and religious dietary requirements, including diabetic, kosher, and halal meal plans, just to name a few.
“Everything we have outlined in this statement was explained and shown during the recent facility tour conducted just days ago. Unfortunately, during the press conference that followed, none of those facts were shared with the public.
“We stand firmly behind this statement, and with our Detention Center, and with the men and women who come to work every day at the Sheriff’s Office. We refuse to allow a one-hour visit and a distorted press conference and people who do not have first-hand knowledge to simply regurgitate what they hear from Politicians and media to define who we are or question the level of professionalism and care we provide.”