Consultant: Kansas City jail in staffing crisis

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A consultant says the Jackson County jail in Kansas City, Missouri, is in a crisis meriting swift action because it can’t retain enough corrections officers to control a dangerous situation.The Kansas City Star reports that CRA Inc.’s Jim Rowenhorst’s assessment to county legislators Thursday comes as one corrections officer was in charge of 130 inmates, and when two corrections officers were overseeing 190 inmates.

The county last year raised wages to $12.60 an hour, which hasn’t kept the lockup from running below minimum staffing.

As Jackson County Circuit Court’s presiding judge, John Torrence says the situation is so bad that judges and lawyers cannot count on defendants getting to court for legal proceedings because there is no one to escort them to the courthouse.

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