The Work of Closing a Notorious Jail

70 Million

Five years after Michael Brown’s death at the hands of a police officer galvanized criminal justice reform activists in St. Louis, they're gaining serious momentum to shut down the city's notorious Workhouse jail. Reporter Carolina Hidalgo spent time with the Close the Workhouse campaign and Arch City Defenders, their supporters, and detractors.

UPDATE:
July 2020: The St. Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to pass a bill which provides for the closure of the Workhouse by the end of 2020. The bill defunds and closes the Workhouse, and it puts the money saved toward community services in neighborhoods impacted by years of disinvestment and incarceration.