ACLU calls for action after 3 Louisville Metro Corrections inmate deaths

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The American Civil Liberties Union called on Mayor Greg Fischer on Monday to take action after three inmates at Louisville Metro Corrections died last week.

Members of the ACLU held a news conference to say they are writing a letter to county and state leaders, seeking immediate relief for people who they say are suffering at the jail. They are also asking judges to stop requesting cash bonds for non-violent offenders.

This comes after 59-year-old Kenneth Hall, 34-year-old Rickitta Smith and a 48-year-old woman not yet identified all died while in custody at Louisville Metro Corrections in the past week.

Hall and Smith were found unresponsive by corrections officers. The 48-year-old woman, who has not yet been publicly identified, died by suicide.

Daniel Johnson, president of FOP Lodge 77, said the deaths could be a result of the jail's chronic staff shortage. The ACLU echoed his concerns, adding that overcrowding and the drug epidemic were also contributing factors.

Now, the organization said it's calling for action.

Amber Duke, deputy director of ACLU Kentucky

"I just can't imagine that anyone could hear that (three people have died) and turn their head and say that they don't care," said Amber Duke, deputy director of ACLU Kentucky.

Johnson said they've been trying to warn city leaders about this for quite some time.

"No one that works there is surprised by what's happening," Johnson said. "It's like we knew this was a time bomb getting ready to go off and we were trying to warn the public."

Johnson said the day the woman died by suicide, two officers were working a floor with 190 inmates. One of those officers was called to work overtime, and the other one was there when Smith was found just days before.

He said there should have been 10 officers working that floor.

"If we had more people available to provide care and be able to sit down in these dorms and talk to the people that are in there and find out what's going on, we can better assess their needs," Johnson said.

He said it starts with more money. Starting wage for a corrections officer is $17 per hour. He hopes Fischer will increase that.

Fischer acknowledged the staffing shortage.

"Clearly, staffing is an issue inside of the jail," he said. "It's been reported we're down about 20% or so ... It's a sad day for the families that are involved with that, and we'll be getting more information out soon."

On Monday evening, Fischer's office released a statement in response to the ACLU's comments:

“The Mayor and his team are saddened by the tragic inmate deaths that have occurred over the last week, and our thoughts are with their loved ones, as well as the hard-working men and women of LMDC. Preliminary reviews indicate the inmate deaths on Monday and Friday may be the result of natural causes. The inmate who died Saturday, sadly, chose to end her own life. All deaths are under investigation. Corrections leadership, including Director Clark, were on-site at the jail over the weekend assessing operations.

“There is no doubt that the jail remains overcrowded and Director Clark has been working with the Kentucky Department of Corrections to get inmates moved, and is working with the Jefferson County Attorney’s office to address the issue of people being held in our jail on charges from other counties. We have seen improvement from those efforts with inmate population trending down from about 1,660 a few months ago to about 1,500 today during a period of unprecedented violence in our community. And last week, the Metro Corrections Executive Team met with ACLU representatives to share common concerns about overcrowding and the impact of cash bail. Corrections leadership and the FOP continue to evaluate the scheduling and staffing needs going forward.

“Last week, we announced $12.8M from the mid-year budget adjustment for potential salary and wage adjustments for employees across Metro Government. Corrections officers have a very challenging job and we will be pushing this salary increase for employees with Metro Council after discussion with the Corrections Union. This is in addition to the recruitment and retention incentives announced in early September.”

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