LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After multiple deaths, several attempts by inmates to take their own lives, an FBI investigation and now, an independent investigation into Louisville Metro Corrections.
The oversight committee's review comes after six inmates died at Metro Corrections in three months. Three of those inmates died by suicide.
"The problems will not go away unless we really spend time comprehensively looking at it," said Matt Golden, chief of Public Services, going over the plan to address the issues Metro Corrections is facing.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer outlined his plan earlier in the week for an independent review of the jail.
"So that we know that we have good policies, that they're being trained upon the training curriculum, that we're looking at the accountability for those policies and then cycling all the way back to the beginning to make sure that our policies are robust," Golden said.
Metro Council members have asked about accountability at the jail when it comes to the issues it has been facing.Â
"The easiest thing to do is to behead somebody, but that doesn't solve the problem," Golden said. "If we don't get to the understanding of what the root causes of the problems are, then we're not gonna really understand how to fix it, and that's what we're trying to do is to really address holistically those problems that exist at the jail."
Golden will have two assistant chiefs who will focus on recruitment and staffing, inmate medical care, disciplinary issues and other concerns.
"We really need to think about jail not just as a small focus, but as (a) holistic issue that our community is facing, so that we can say that that bellwether of our community, the jail, is performing as best we possibly can," he said.
They are working on increasing staffing, having medical reviews of high-risk inmates and educating officers about identifying signs of suicide.
Metro Council is expected to discuss a few items regarding Metro Corrections at their meeting Thursday.
Related Stories:Â
- Councilmembers want to conduct separate investigation into Louisville Metro Corrections
- Fischer outlines plan for oversight, independent review of Louisville Metro Corrections
- Committee's 'no confidence' vote in Metro Corrections leadership heads to Metro Council
- Judge calls recent deaths at Metro Corrections 'symptoms of consistent failures'
- Half of Metro Corrections inmates who died in the past 3 months died by suicide
- Sixth inmate dies at Louisville Metro Corrections in 3 months
- Metro council members call for 'no confidence' vote in Louisville jail leadership
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