KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A report released by a grand jury on Friday detailing a number of issues at the Jackson County Detention Center did not bring shock to inmates who have recently served time at the facility.
The 70-page report detailed dirty living spaces inside the jail, cells covered in graffiti, doors & elevators not working, constant water & sewage leaks, and assaults taking place on a daily basis.
Madison Jennings, who told 41 Action News she spent time at the jail for traffic warrants and failing to appear in court, was released on Friday evening and said she saw the issues firsthand.
“There were ants crawling over the mat I was laying on,” she said. “There’s trash and people’s leftover sack lunches and cups everywhere. Girls were banging on the door begging for a shower.”
The report also detailed the jail being overcrowded with inmates and understaffed by guards despite an increasing budget over the last seven years.
“There’s hundreds and hundreds of inmates and only a couple guards,” Jennings explained.
At least half a dozen other inmates who spoke to 41 Action News outside the detention center on Friday had accounts similar to Jennings from their time behind bars at the facility.
The investigation described how some inmates had allegedly pleaded guilty to crimes to flee the conditions at the jail.
In two instances, the report noted how inmates were allegedly able to illegally obtain cellphones to coordinate murders of key witnesses in their cases.
The details brought concern on Friday for Sherry Willughby, whose son is currently behind bars at the Jackson County Detention Center for alleged robbery.
“It’s terrible,” she explained. “He’s got a cell and no running water.”
At the conclusion of the report, the grand jury recommended a review of the issues identified in the investigation.
Moving forward, Willughby hoped change would soon come to the facility.
“It ain’t like he was supposed to be living great but you can’t take a human being and put them in jail and make them live like a dog,” she explained. “Dogs live better than this.”
