"The 18th of May, my son Richard Graham went to Metro jail. On the 19th, he was deceased," said Monica Graham, whose son died in the custody of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.
She and others took to the podium at a press conference this week, to testify to the need for more eyes on the problem of deaths that occur behind bars.
That's what Sen. Keturah Herron wants to achieve with a three-pronged approach: requiring more detailed reporting surrounding deaths in jails or during arrests, a new independent review panel to monitor those deaths, and the creation of a task force meant to study alternative responses to people in mental health crises.
"This issue is not about politics. It is about people. It is about families who deserve clear answers. It is about systems that should be strong enough to examine themselves honestly," Herron said.
For the Louisville lawmaker, the bills are personal. They were prompted by the death of a friend, Dion Watts, a 42-year-old father who died in January after an altercation with officers at the Madison County Detention Center.