LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Metro Department of Corrections is making changes to better support those who are about to be released.
After years of problems inside the city's jail, leaders are looking to make improvements.
A resource fair was held Monday to help inmates prepare for the day they're released.
Both incarcerated men and women got the chance to visit the booths, most of which offered some type of transition services.
"I just can't wait," Corey Caruthers, who is incarcerated at the jail in downtown Louisville, said. "I'm just so eager to get back out there, because I know what to do now, and I know I have the resources."
One organization providing resources is the Louisville Urban League, which can help with housing or training one might need to get a job.
"We already have connections with a lot of those jobs to help them, even for those that may have a felony or misdemeanor on their record, we already have that relationship with them so we can help them try to overcome that barrier by already knowing who they can go to," said Melvin Boyd, a community health worker for the Louisville Urban League.
Jail officials said not having a state ID can also be a barrier to securing a job after incarceration. That service is offered through Medicaid, along with assistance applying for health insurance.
The jail in downtown Louisville has been working to make such improvements after more than a dozen inmate deaths and a scathing report highlighting the issues that led to them.
The nearly 500-page report was the result of a yearlong audit of Metro Corrections conducted by former FBI agent David Beyer at the request of Louisville Metro Council following a string of in-custody deaths.
Council members called the report "disturbing," but a step toward addressing ongoing issues and implementing "needed change."
The report contains specific examples of sexual harassment in the workplace and highlights the circumstances that factored into nine of 13 in-custody deaths at the jail in downtown Louisville.
Two of the common factors identified in the audit were "inconsistent and incomplete records," and "lack of appropriate observation."
During a meeting reviewing the contents of the report in April 2023, council members applauded Metro Corrections Director Jerry Collins for the work he'd done to make improvements since he started in April 2022. Changes and improvements discussed at the time included mandatory sexual harassment training, leadership, technology upgrades and the addition of Narcan.
Most recently, the jail held its first 40-hour mental health officer certification course in March. The training is aimed at better preparing corrections officers to handle a situation where a person is experiencing a mental health crisis.
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