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ST LOUIS, MO – About 115 inmates at a St. Louis jail escaped their cells, broke windows and set small fires in their unit on Saturday, officials said. The disturbance at the City Justice Center began around 2:30 a.m. when a “defiant detainee” got into a scuffle with a corrections officer, St. Louis Public Safety…

WASHINGTON, DC – Like other Americans, inmates and their families are struggling financially. CARES Act stimulus payments for inmates, which were granted after a legal challenge, help offset the myriad expenses inmates are responsible for, like telephone calls or medical needs. The first payments were by check, but state prisons have been unable to process…

CALIFORNIA – Governor Gavin Newsom is looking to hire firefighters to battle the inevitable threat of statewide firefights since the inmate firefighter population in California has dwindled in numbers. Local law enforcement told FOX40 Sunday that the ramp-up in firefighters will cost the state millions compared to the historically low-cost inmate firefighter program but it’s…

WASHTENAW, MI – The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office announced this week that outstanding jail debts from between 2013 and 2020 will be forgiven, ending what the sheriff called “an absurd cycle” that can trail an inmate even after release. Under the State Correctional Facility Reimbursement Act, sheriffs can recover any debt incurred while inmates are incarcerated in…

LEHIGH CO, PA – Lehigh County Jail staff are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as Lehigh County officials beg the state for vaccines, testing supplies and money to combat the virus in the county jail. Officials wrote a Jan. 29 letter asking for vaccinations for inmates, officers and staff at the jail in Allentown as soon…