LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The latest death at Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC) sparked another protest Tuesday evening as activists called for more to be done to prevent deaths at the jail.
Thirteen people have died in custody since 2021.
LMDC said the most recent death was Monday afternoon after a 61-year-old man suffered a medical emergency and later died at the hospital.
At the rally, protestors identified the man as Ishmael Worth Puckett.
Activists spoke, held several minutes of silence, and marched outside the jail while carrying signs with the names of those who died in custody. They said change can't come fast enough.
“Even though my son is a young Black man and this was an older white man, I can still hear the anxiety in my son's voice,” Aprile Hearn, whose son is jailed at LMDC, said. “I can still hear the concern. ‘Mommy, am I safe? When am I going to get out of here? I need to go home.’”
Jail Director Jerry Collins said staffing has increased and they are working with outside organizations, including the ACLU, to create more resources surrounding mental heath and substance abuse.
“We’re gonna do everything we can to make this as safe as possible, but at the end of the day, just like in any place in the city, tragedies happen sometimes,” he said.
This topic has gotten a lot of traction over the past few months. An investigation into LMDC reports that the jail will need a new location. The current building was made to be an office but was instead used for the jail.
Despite this, activists say the problem is much deeper than structural issues.
“The focus needs to be on these bails that they set that people cannot afford,” Hearne said.
She, and others, also said people with drug addiction need rehab, not incarceration.
On WHAS11 Tuesday afternoon, new Metro Council President Markus Winkler said a new facility is needed.
"I'm very concerned about the conditions at the jail,” he said. “We have poor line of sight for our staff, lots of interactions between staff and inmates.”
Collins agrees with the creation of a new jail, but said he knows a new building isn't a cure-all.
“That would be years down the road, so what we have to do is focus on what we have right now,” he said. “ [We need to] do everything we can bring in every idea we can get, and we welcome that.”
As for staffing, Collins said the jail is still about 70 officers short. However, in the coming weeks, they will have another lateral class and a regular academy class.
The investigation into Puckett’s death is ongoing. The exact cause of his death has not been released.
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