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Investigator updates Metro Council on conditions inside Louisville jail

"There are so many other problems, or corrections, that need to be addressed," former FBI agent David Beyer said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On Wednesday, an investigator updated Louisville's Metro Council on the conditions inside the downtown jail.

Last month a 400-page report outlined concerning trends within the Metro Department of Corrections facility, saying the jail was risking lives.

A year-long investigation by former FBI agent David Beyer found an inadequate facility, poor supervision, lackluster training and short-staffing are largely to blame for deaths in the jail.

In just a handful of months, more than a dozen incarcerated people died while in custody.

Beyer said Director Jerry Collins is working on these areas.

"There's a lot of work yet to be done and is told Director Collins recently said it's like he's the captain of the Titanic," Beyer said. 

"When he took over there were a lot of problems with corrections and he had to try and fix the big leak, which was all the deaths that were occurring," he said. "But there are so many other problems, or corrections, that need to be addressed and it's difficult for one man to do the micromanagement."

Two of the biggest things Beyer spoke about were staffing and recruitment.

Director Collins said the state corrections facility just raise their minimum wage to $28 while Louisville's is only $21 an hour.

He said that makes Louisville close to the lowest-paying corrections facility in the state.

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