By PJ Green
The Kansas City Star
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County legislators are looking at offering a solution to Kansas City’s municipal jail issue: the county’s downtown jail.
City officials are currently evaluating options for a temporary jail that could cost as much as $30 million, as it also plans to build a permanent home for people detained on municipal charges, something Kansas City hasn’t had since 2009. Detainees are currently sent to distant jails in Vernon and Johnson County.
In July, the Kansas City Council approved a call for proposals from companies that could build a “modular” jail with structures, similar to classroom trailers, holding up to 130 beds for holding detainees. People charged with felonies wouldn’t use the municipal jail, but would instead be detained at the Jackson , Platte, and Clay county jails.
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As city officials work to have a temporary jail up by the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June, 6th District Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith proposed a resolution for a 30-day joint study between the county and the city to see if allowing the city to move into the downtown jail is possible.
The resolution proposed in the county legislature was referred to the Justice and Law Enforcement Committee .
Jackson County is moving its inmates into its new $317 million detention center next spring.
Smith said this kind of idea was thought about before by local officials, but as a permanent home for the municipal jail. He thinks this proposal could be a solution to the temporary jail efforts this time around.
“That might have been the county trying to make a buck,” Smith told The Star on Tuesday. “We’re kind of in an emergency. In my mind, we’re pretty close to it.
“The World Cup coming and seeing some of the petty crime and how that’s causing escalations and just detriment to the community, it just feels like whatever we can do to help. Not a new idea, but a different idea.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas said he’s open to all ideas but he doesn’t think it can happen before the council’s deadline of the World Cup.
“I think the temporary jail discussion would be fairly difficult,” Lucas said on Monday at an unrelated event. “They still have inmates in there today. Even if the inmates leave, as is expected in January, I think there is some time necessary to, frankly, renovate the facility, address it under the issues, and I’m not sure that gets done by May.”
In the past two decades, both Kansas City and Jackson County have been planning and preparing for new jail facilities. Jackson County will be moving into its new detention facility soon. Kansas City is still working to finalize its plan for a temporary jail while building a new one.
“Kansas City continues to act actively in terms of finding and building a temporary jail space. We still plan to have that ready by May,” Lucas said. “But I will say this, we’re always interested in more conversation for how we can build a safer community. So I appreciate the interest from our friends in Jackson County . I look forward to more collaboration ahead.” Jackson County’s move to a new detention center marks the end of a tumultuous tenure at the downtown facility. Several investigations and studies revealed the facility was plagued with poor infrastructure and mismanagement, rapes, assaults, and allegations of medical malpractice.
A 2018 report stated conditions were so bad, some inmates would rather plead guilty to charges to be sent to state prison instead of awaiting trial in county lockup.
Kansas City had the option to partner with Jackson County on the new jail. Lucas rejected the partnership in 2023, citing that the partnership would have placed “undetermined” financial liability on the city and required quick approval.
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