The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (ACLU-KY) has sued Louisville Metro Government for not disclosing records pertaining to the Louisville Metro Detention Center’s (LMDC) suicide watch program. The case pertains to the LMDC’s use of incarcerated “observers” to watch others who are deemed “at risk.”
Originally filed on June 15, the complaint aims to force LMDC to provide policy documents and training materials for its “Inmate Observer” program—a system whereby imprisoned individuals monitor fellow inmates, usually those on suicide watch. ACLU-KY said it initially requested these records as part of a broader investigation into the use of such observers across Kentucky’s jails and prisons.
“Kentucky’s Open Records Act is designed to promote government transparency and accountability,” said William Sharp, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Kentucky. “And access to the records at issue here is critical for the public to exercise meaningful oversight of LMDC’s use of incarcerated individuals’ labor to monitor other at-risk people in the facility, particularly in light of the numerous deaths that have occurred there.”
There have been 22 in-custody deaths in LMDC over the past four years, with five happening this year alone.
While the Kentucky Department of Corrections (DOC) complied with a similar open records request, LMDC refused. The ACLU challenged the refusal to the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, which finally maintained LMDC’s choice to keep the records under wraps. The new lawsuit seeks to have Jefferson Circuit Court overturn that ruling.
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Although the “Inmate Observer” program is meant to be a suicide prevention tool, advocates contend that public criticism of its execution—along with the weight placed on imprisoned observers—is necessary.
The Jefferson Circuit Court has not yet set a hearing regarding the filing.
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This article appears in Jun 6-19, 2025.