February 26, 2026
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville Metro Department of Corrections has announced the death this morning of a 21-year-old man who was in their custody.
The following statement on the latest in-custody death at the jail can be attributed to ACLU-KY Executive Director Amber Duke:
“I am deeply, deeply saddened to learn of the death of yet another young man at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. The tragic fact is that hundreds of lives are at risk in the facility every single hour of every day. Today, the facility is 223 people over its capacity of 1373 people. Today, the jail’s staffing is below optimal operation. Today, an ICE Detainer policy is in effect that requires people to be held in this overcrowded, understaffed facility for 48 additional hours, or more, for federal immigration enforcement. As a community, we must come together and demand that all actors in our criminal legal system do everything they can to ease the burden on the jail and save lives. The ACLU of Kentucky continues to call on LMPD to use its discretion to issue citations in lieu of arrest, and for prosecutors and judges to commit to increased use of releasing individuals without a bond, or on nonfinancial conditions. In those instances where a bond is set, judges must allow bail credit. If we do not act, and act with urgency, more families will continue to suffer these unspeakable losses.”
A copy of this release and the filing can be found here.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislature and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms. For additional information, visit our website at: www.aclu-ky.org.
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