Jerry Collins knew something needed to change.

When he took up the helm of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, the jail was in the midst of an unprecedented surge of in-custody deaths, with 15 people dying between late 2021 and mid-2023 — including six in just four months.

A scathing investigation partially blamed the jail’s design, saying the outdated building was “woefully inadequate” for monitoring inmates, but Collins knew he needed to adjust more than the structure. The department’s culture had to shift, too.

In the two years since, the jail’s executive director has overseen a relentless stream of reforms, with many aimed at decreasing in-house drug use. He’s emphasized recruiting and training the best officers to better respond to inmates in crisis. And he’s brought vocal critics to the table in order to have difficult, but important, conversations.

The result: No deaths by suicide or overdose in about a year.

That stretch ended in late May when Richard Graham — a 34-year-old Louisville resident and father of young children — died in custody of a suspected overdose.

For Collins and criminal justice advocates who’ve kept pressure on the jail, the latest death is another tragedy that shouldn’t have occurred. It’s also proof that while many reforms are succeeding, Metro Corrections still has work to do.

“We’ve been saying it since 2021. We will continue to say it — an arrest should not equal a death sentence,” said Amber Duke, executive director of the ACLU of Kentucky.

Here are some recent changes Metro Corrections has made.

Reforms lower drug trafficking, overdoses inside Louisville Metro Corrections

Stopping drugs from entering the jail is a constant battle, with Collins identifying it early on as a top priority.

Drug use has been one of the most prevalent causes of in-custody deaths for Metro Corrections over the years, with five deaths between November 2021 and January 2023 ruled fatal overdoses.

“I’m not afraid of a gun. We’re gonna find that every time,” Collins said of contraband. “But just a small, penny-size amount of fentanyl can kill you. That’s the scary part. So we have to be diligent.”

Since January, Metro Corrections staff has stopped 250 attempts to smuggle contraband into the facility. Last year, the department foiled over 700 plots.

But methods for getting drugs inside have become increasingly creative, causing jail leaders to regularly change their processes.

When Metro Corrections discovered a large percentage of drugs were getting in through physical mail, the facility switched to electronic delivery. Corrections officers then found drugs sewn inside the lining of clothes new inmates wore into the jail. In response, Metro Corrections staff changed booking policy so people must change into a standardized jumpsuit as soon as they enter the system.

New security tactics have also been implemented to prevent trafficking of drugs that do get into the building.

Three full-body scanners are posted at various places throughout the facility, where inmates suspected of holding onto contraband can be checked. Food tray slots for cells or dorms are also now under lock and key to prevent people from discreetly sliding illegal substances in as they pass by.

But the slew of changes hasn’t completely quelled attempts of drug smuggling. For many, the reward is far greater than the risk, Collins said.

“It’s about four times more profitable (for a drug dealer) inside a facility than it is on the street,” he said.

Metro Corrections has even seen some people intentionally get arrested solely to have the opportunity to sell drugs to other inmates, spokesperson Maor Jason Logsdon said.

“There’s always going to be drugs in a jail. It’s just a fact of life,” Collins said. “It’s doing everything we can to combat it getting in … and not be naïve and think it’s not going to get in.”

Since the recent spate of deaths, the jail has outfitted every dorm with overdose-reversing medication Narcan, letting both staff and inmates administer it to anyone they believe is showing signs of an overdose. Each case of Narcan has an alarm system that will alert jail staff once it is utilized for an additional quick-response.

Such easy availability has reportedly been highly successful.

“We’ve had inmates save other inmates’ lives,” Logsdon said.

In addition to catching contraband and preventing overdoses, Metro Corrections has also strengthened strategies to help inmates with substance abuse disorder. More than 100 people are currently receiving medically assisted treatment for the disorder, and in-house programs aimed at long-term recovery are also available at the facility.

Improving inmate quality of life beyond mental health check-ins

Mental health and well-being have become a large focus, after six people died by suicide between November 2021 and May 2023.

Care starts as early as when people are booked, with each individual undergoing an in-depth mental health screening.

People identified as high-risk are placed in cells with suicide-resistant bunks, where they receive intense monitoring from trained mental health staff.

The facility has streamlined its inmate monitoring system for its general population as well. Rather than using pen and paper, staff now use a security monitoring system where officers scan a badge to an electronic pad outside each cell or dorm to verify they checked on the inmates inside. Typically, most areas are checked three times an hour, though security checks increase for more high-risk inmates.

In addition to mental health, Metro Corrections has focused on finding ways to improve quality of life. Every inmate now has access to a smart tablet where they can virtually visit or text with family and access some entertainment. Each inmate receives two free phone calls a day to keep in touch with loved ones.

In the atrium area, where some are housed based on low-risk classification, a rotation of inmates can have approximately seven hours in a large, multipurpose room where they have access to video games, playing cards and cornhole.

Corrections director brings critics to the table

Since he became director, Collins said he has seen the advantages of Metro Corrections working with advocacy groups behind the scenes on potential solutions and further reforms at the jail.

“One of the first thing I did was get community activists in,” Collins said, including representatives from organizations such as the ACLU and Black Lives Matter. “I brought them to the table and into the jail. I said, ‘Here are my challenges. Let’s be partners in this. Let’s see what we can do together.’ Because it’s not said enough, but when you focus on jail issues, you’re focusing on community issues.”

Collins said Metro Corrections spoke with multiple advocacy groups about the process of the jail’s new medical contract with YesCare and invites them to participate in quarterly meetings with him and jail staff.

Shortly after Graham’s death last month, Duke with the ACLU of Kentucky said work to prevent in-custody deaths does not stop with Metro Corrections. City leaders must also improve community-based health care and better invest in neighborhoods so that fewer people come into contact with the criminal system in the first place.

During a news conference on May 23, several of Graham’s family members spoke about him, noting he was a hard-working welder, as well as a devoted son and father.

“My dad wasn’t a bad person, but he wasn’t perfect,” Honesty Graham said. “He always worked. He worked as hard as he could. Whenever I needed something, he would always give it to me.”

Family members also said they still have questions around Graham’s death and how drugs are able to get inside the facility.

While Collins said the open investigations into Graham’s death limit what he’s legally allowed to say, he expressed condolences to those who knew and were close to him.

“There’s nothing more tragic than a death,” Collins said, later adding, “We mourn for (the Graham family’s) loss.”

Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: After spike in deaths, Louisville jail undertakes ongoing reforms