ST. LOUIS – The City Justice Center is under interim leadership following recent years of issues, city officials announced Monday.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announced the appointment of Doug Burris as the new jail commissioner. With decades of high-level experience in corrections, Burris is tasked with tackling severe understaffing, overcrowding, and inmate conditions.

Jones emphasized Burris’ proven track record of success at a news conference.

“When Doug was asked to take over the St. Louis County Jail, that facility was facing some serious challenges. By the time he left, it received the highest accreditation scores of any jail in the country,” Jones said.

The justice center has been plagued with poor conditions, jail deaths, and even riots at times. Burris has plans to address all these issues.

“I talked to attorneys that are suing the jail who gave me great information on how to better the jail. I think we are on the verge of some great things that are going to happen immediately. You’ll see things in the coming few weeks,” he said.

The St. Louis Detention Facilities Oversight Board has been calling for reform for years, and Chairman Rev. Darryl Gray says Burris’ appointment feels like progress.

“Doug didn’t say anything that we haven’t been saying…Come to some of our meetings; none of this is new, but Doug is. So hopefully, the fact that administration brought him in, maybe they will listen to him because they sure wasn’t listening to us,” Gray said.

Burris received 35 recommendations for improvements, such as increasing staff with a professional recruitment agency, improving detainee conditions through assessing nonviolent detainees for alternative placements, and enhancing jail operations by pursuing accreditation.

Jones told FOX 2 she is pushing for several of these recommendations to be done within Burris’ first 60 days of his tenure. The public safety director added that they are looking for a permanent jail commissioner while Burris fills the role.