LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Community advocates are calling for transparency and policy changes after a 21-year-old man was found dead inside the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections early Thursday morning. What You Need To Know A 21-year-old man died inside LMDC just 12 days after his arrest Advocates said this marks the 23rd jail death since May 2021 Groups are calling for decarceration and increased transparency Legislation is being pushed to require better reporting and analysis of jail deaths Juan Miguel Munoz Penalver was discovered unresponsive just 12 days after his initial arrest, according to jail officials. The circumstances of his death have not yet been released. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the young man,” LMDC Chief Jerry Collins said in a statement. “We are fully investigating the incident to determine the facts of this unfortunate event.” Advocates gathered outside the jail Friday, expressing that Penalver’s death highlights what they describe as ongoing systemic issues. Shameka Parrish-Wright, director of VOCAL-KY, said overcrowding remains a serious concern and argued that decarceration efforts could help reduce preventable deaths. “They haven’t seen that jail decarcerated to the point where they can actually breathe and look around and say, ‘Okay, maybe we can improve this holding process,’” Parrish-Wright said. “They can’t improve the processes if they’re dealing with an overcrowded jail.” The ACLU of Kentucky said Penalver’s death marks the 23rd reported jail death since May 2021. Executive director Amber Duke said that Penalver was also facing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, which can add additional emotional strain for incarcerated individuals. “I think that there is a particular burden on folks that have an ICE detainer on top of that,” Duke said. “At the end of that road, what is waiting for them is ICE picking them up and putting them into detention.” Advocates are backing Senate Bills 208 and 209, which aim to increase transparency and require more detailed reporting and analysis surrounding jail deaths across Kentucky. “So this legislation wants to capture all of that with an eye toward, let’s try to figure out what happened in these circumstances around each of these deaths,” Duke said. “And let’s do system-wide analysis to make sure that we can address them.” In addition to an internal investigation by LMDC, the Louisville Metro Police Department Public Integrity Unit will conduct a separate review. Officials have not released additional details about the cause of death.