LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — As Louisville Metro Corrections struggles with overcrowding and staffing shortages, inmates and jail staff say conditions inside the jail are worsening.
One inmate, who asked not to be identified, said life behind bars has been difficult since he was booked into the facility in November. Facing serious charges and health issues, he said the jail environment takes a physical and mental toll.
"Very hard," the inmate said. "They don't take care of nobody. There is a bunch of crazy stuff going on in here."
The inmate said he fears retaliation from other inmates and worries speaking publicly could affect how jail staff treat him. "It messes with people mentally," he said. "People's health is very important, but I feel like being in jail, they don't care about you. They just look at you as an inmate or a job."
Concerns about conditions inside Metro Corrections have also been voiced by Louisville Metro Council members.
"Our jail is such a deplorable facility," Metro Council member Jennifer Chappell said during a recent budget discussion. "I'm curious how we are investing in the quality of life for our inmates when we are cutting programming."
Metro Corrections Director Jerry Collins pushed back on that characterization, saying the programs being reduced were not internal jail programs and disputing claims that conditions are deplorable.
"Are the conditions in the jail deplorable? No," Collins said. "It's clean. Obviously, we're dealing with what we have jail."
Still, Collins acknowledged the facility is operating well beyond its intended capacity.
"Our capacity is 1,373, and we were about 1,548 this morning," Collins said.
That puts the jail roughly 175 inmates over capacity.
The overcrowding comes as Metro Corrections continues to deal with staffing shortages, an issue that has drawn additional scrutiny following the death of a 21-year-old inmate earlier this year.
In May, records show the inmate's death certificate listed his cause of death as dehydration resulting from a self-imposed refusal of hydration and care while he was on suicide watch. Records indicate the inmate was discovered unresponsive around 4:30 a.m. while breakfast was being served.
According to documentation, inmates on suicide watch are supposed to be checked every 30 minutes. Records show approximately five hours had passed since his last documented check.
Collins said the department has made progress in reducing mandatory overtime through its staffing plan and ongoing hiring efforts.
"We've actually greatly reduced mandatory overtime with our staffing plan currently," Collins said. "Hopefully we continue to do that, continue to have the number of applicants like we have, and we'll just keep pushing at it."
For many, that push is being felt on both sides of the bars — by the inmates living inside the crowded facility and by the correctional officers responsible for keeping it running.
Under the proposed Metro budget, funding for Louisville Metro Corrections would increase by approximately $4 million compared to last year.
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