Jail overcrowding puts Farmington, Mo., inmates in tent

FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) -- One eastern Missouri jail is so overcrowded that authorities are using a huge tent to house weekend prisoners.

The Daily Journal newspaper in Park Hills, Mo., reports that St. Francois County Sheriff Dan Bullock plans to use the tents again next weekend.

The 180-bed jail had a record 291 inmates on Saturday. The department used Homeland Security grant money to purchase the tent through Army Surplus. The tent sits on gravel in the jail's impound lot.

Inmates use a portable toilet. A homemade sink is set up for washing. A razor-wire fence surrounds the area, which is monitored through surveillance cameras. Jail workers make random checks on the outdoor inmates.

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Information from: Daily Journal, http://dailyjournalonline.com