New Louisville Metro Department of Corrections program aimed at helping people stay out of jail

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Too many people land back inside Metro Corrections after being released.

Metro Corrections has been working to launch a new program for a while now, but just recently, Metro Council approved $500,000 that's really going to help them get the ball rolling.

The new program is supposed to be a long term solution for the jail, offering services to keep people from landing back there.

"It was really exciting that this was something that our city identified as a high need and supported with our budget," Dr. Mariya Leyderman, Louisville Metro Department of Corrections ' Executive Chief Psychologist, said.

Dr. Leyderman said the program will help inmates get their lives on the right track and out of the justice system.

The new program will also provide medication and treatment management assistance and long term housing or employment options.

"It targets the underlying issue, and jail doesn't become a temporary solution. And we don't have a repetitive cycle of people that utilize our system, but really we're able to identify their actual needs and get them the services that will help them long term," Leyderman said.

Leyderman isn't spearheading this alone. She is also working with Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Department.

"If you're able to support people's mental health, make sure that they have access to housing and health care, they're much less likely to be involved in the legal system again," Ben Goldman said.

Ben Goldman, Community health Administrator, said the ideal candidate for this program would be somebody who's already been trapped in the cycle of getting in and out of jail, and not having their specific needs met.

"We can see a benefit to public safety, have better health outcomes for individuals, and cost less money for taxpayers," Goldman said.

They hope to help 30 to 40 people in the first year, out of about 1,200 inmates total.

"We have people in the jail today who could benefit from this program if it were launched today," Goldman said.

"Somebody has to take accountability and responsibility for looking at diversion," Leyderman said. "So, we're really excited to be part of that process and be in a position to be able to help."

"We'll also be able to generate some data to show how many were able to avoid reincarceration after being involved with the program, how many of them started out on housed and ended up stably housed? And, I think, with that evidence, if we're able to show that there's a cost saving and improvement in health outcome, it's going to be a really strong argument for scaling this up," Goldman said.

The program is still in it's pilot phase, but they plan to launch it soon.

For more information about Louisville Metro Department of Corrections' jail population, click here.