Trousdale County District Attorney Jason Lawson said he wants the state government to assume management of Trousdale Turner Correctional Center (TTCC).
This announcement comes after Tennessee’s largest prison experienced a riot on Sunday, where three inmates and one prison guard experienced minor injuries. According to CoreCivic, the inmates wanted to damage property, tamper with security cameras, and set fires.
CoreCivic, the company that operates the prison, stated the riot began after a few inmates refused to return to their cells.
It also said there was never a hostage situation at any point. Furthermore, CoreCivic noted inmates did not attempt to escape from TTCC.
ABC News reported the riot took a couple of hours to contain.
A day after the ordeal, Lawson stated the prison riot highlighted the issues at the correction center. He said the inmates who participated in the riot will be punished for their actions.
The district attorney pointed out the Trousdale County Grand Jury has “added hundreds of new cases” to investigate that have occurred at the prison over the past couple of years. He explained the county deals with around “one crime for every four calendar days” from the facility.
Lawson said the continual problems at TTCC show “CoreCivic is unable to address the issues.”
“I understand that Tennessee needs the bedspace at Trousdale Turner to house state prisoners, however, it is long-overdue that the State of Tennessee shifted the management of Trousdale Turner from CoreCivic into the direct hands of the Tennessee Department of Correction,” the district attorney explained.
“I am confident that Commissioner [Frank] Strada and the Tennessee Department of Correction could manage this situation far better than what is being done by CoreCivic,” he added.
Lawson stated this shift in management would allow CoreCivic to shift employees to other prisons it manages in the state. He noted these other facilities are “significantly understaffed.”
“Based on the past track record and the concern for inmate and employee safety, I respectfully call for the management of the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center to be assumed by the Tennessee Department of Correction directly without the involvement of CoreCivic,” Lawson said.
Last year, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into TTCC. DOJ is investigating TTCC to see if inmates are safe from harm, including physical violence and sexual abuse.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
Photo “Police Response to Prison Riot” by Trousdale County Sheriff’s Department.
Give the life sentenced prisoners the opportunity to deport to a country that needs help and labor … like Liberia. Then WE do not have to fund them anymore ( and lower our taxes )