KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.
A rally was held outside of Kansas City, Missouri’s temporary modular jail that's currently under construction off of Front Street.
Some local organizations, nicknamed the facility the "World Cup Jail," because it's supposed to open just before the event.
The new facility will house 100-beds and was approved by city council after a debate.
Since 2009, Kansas City has not operated its own city jail, instead contracting with other areas to house inmates.
Kansas City Public Safety
KCMO City Council votes to approve construction of temporary modular jail
Vernan County and Johnson County house inmates from municipal court cases.
The Jackson County Detention Center serves the circuit court.
Patisha Royal is an organizer with Decarcerate KC, a group leading a "No New Jail" movement.
"The FIFA Cup will leave, the jail stays," Royal said.
The jail was designed to be temporary before a permanent one is put in place.
Royal questioned if it will actually be temporary or if the city will use it to amplify the number of beds in KCMO.
"It sends a message that we are trying to incarcerate our way through issues that we should be providing more resources for," Royal said.
At the rally, attendees chanted, "No one’s free till we’re all free," and "Let’s Decarcerate KC."
"Jails don’t prevent crime," Royal said.
She said the purpose and location of the facility are a problem. The construction site is currently close to Frontier Schools.
"Putting a jail next to a school, 3,000 feet away perpetuates the cycle of school to prison pipeline model," Royal said.
The distance to the school has some parents concerned. Parent Jimana Galan, is worried about safety for her son and brother who attend the school.
"I chose that school for my son because I thought that it was a good school for him, and now everything is changing because of the jail," Galan said.
She thinks the decision to put a jail near the school, was a mistake.
"It wasn’t the best decision," Galan said.
In our previous coverage, anchor Caitlin Knute investigated the early release of over 400 inmates over a span of 4-years. That investigation revealed that due to current contracts, some inmates are refused from the county facilities and are sent back to Kansas City.
Investigations
Over 400 KCMO Municipal Court prisoners released early over nearly 4-year period
"The challenge comes down to the space that we have right now," Mayor Quinton Lucas said in March of 2025.
With housing not always an option, the city’s administrator of corrections makes the difficult choice to release them.
"So, we share the viewpoint with the public that it’s wholly unacceptable," Lucas told Caitlin Knute.
This is one of the reason city leaders feel a city operated jail is necessary.
However, Royal does not believe a city jail is the answer to public safety.
"They need to really understand what public safety is to the people. We need better streets. We need sidewalks. We need, you know, lights. We need more resources. We need more food pantries. We need affordable housing," Royal said.
We reached out to spokespersons for both the mayor and the city. We have not heard back yet.
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