Jail Structure

The Joplin City Jail has a total of 18 full and part-time employees divided into 4 shifts.  It is led by Jail Administrator, Mark St Peter.

St. Peter has worked in law enforcement since 1990 in a variety of roles including jail work, patrolman, investigations, supervisory roles in patrol.  Administrator St. Peter retired from the Joplin Police Department as an administrative sergeant in 2013. He returned to the jail in 2017 and promoted to his current position in March of 2019.

The Jail also has 4 shift supervisors that handle the day-to-day operations in the jail. They are all experienced officers. Each of them supervises 3 detention officers.

The Joplin City Jail also employs 1 full time cook. The Joplin City Jail provides a hot breakfast, a hot lunch and a cold dinner (sandwich's, chips etc..) per day. The cook is in charge of preparing the hot meals and prepping the cold meals daily. The Joplin City Jail served over 45,600 meals in 2022. By preparing its own food the jail was able to provide meals at a cost of $2.24 each.

Jail Population

The Joplin City Jail is a 64-bed facility. It houses male and female adults that are pre-trial detainees or sentenced to Joplin City Jail time. It also provides jail services for the City of Duquesne. In 2021, 4,741 people were processed by the Joplin City Jail staff. 

Inmates who are sentenced to Joplin Jail time are screened and those without disciplinary or security risks can work within the jail to take time off their sentences. They work in facility cleaning, laundry and kitchen help. For each day they work a day is taken off their sentences. This allows for a shorter stay at the Jail and lowers costs for the city by housing them for less time and not having to hire someone to perform the jobs they do.