ST. LOUIS — The ACLU of Eastern Missouri filed a lawsuit Jan. 25, 2012, against the City of St. Louis and its Division of Corrections over their failure to respond to a request for public records.
Beginning in September of last year, the ACLU made requests for open records related to the grievance policies in the jails operated by the City of St. Louis. Grievance procedures provide inmates with a formal way to deal with issues related to their confinement without filing a lawsuit. The ACLU receives repeated complaints that the grievance procedure for the City’s jails does not function adequately. It made the records request to learn more about the Division of Corrections’ grievance process.
“When there is no workable grievance mechanism in place, there is no way for inmates to resolve legitimate problems,” said Brenda Jones, Executive Director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri. “Without a fair and equitable process to address problems, inmates turn to inappropriate behavior or cumbersome lawsuits to seek redress.”
The ACLU never received any records. According to the lawsuit, numerous attempts by ACLU staff to follow up with City offices received no response.
“The public has a right to know whether the jails allow inmates to bring concerns to the attention of officials,” said Anthony E. Rothert, Legal Director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri. “The complete failure to produce records as required by the Sunshine Law raises serious questions about the chaotic way in which the Division of Corrections is currently being managed.”
