It was announced on August 20th that the biggest prison in Tennessee would be the subject of an investigation into allegations of bodily abuse, murder, and assaults.
Following allegations of forced penetration and brutal abuses within the private facility, the Department of Justice will begin an investigation into CoreCivic’s 2016-opened Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. There were 196 assaults, two homicides, and 90 reports of sexual assault in the jail between 2022 and 2023.
According to Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general from the DOJ’s civil rights division, violence and sexualized assault should not and can not take the place of punishment in the judicial system. The purpose of the extensive study is to discover whether or not this privately-run prison has committed widespread constitutional breaches in its treatment of inmates. Clarke claimed that everyone incarcerated in the nation’s prisons and jails has the DOJ’s unwavering support as they defend their constitutional rights.
The jail also has problems holding onto its employees.
Speaking to the media in Nashville in 2022, a former correctional officer spoke about allegations of medical maltreatment of detainees at Trousdale following an inquiry. In an interview, Treyton Lattimore said that he was only there for nine months because he couldn’t take it anymore.
Lattimore stated that more officers are needed. The facility’s understaffing posed a threat to police and caused delays in medical care for detainees.
In 2023, Turner’s prison guard turnover rate was 188%, as reported by US Attorney Henry C. Leventis. The 2023 audit of Tennessee’s prisons revealed a turnover rate of 146% in CoreCivic-managed facilities and 37% in state-owned facilities. In addition, there is a 42% vacancy rate among prison guards at their facilities.
The Turner administration and staff value the safety and dignity of all prisoners, according to CoreCivic VP of Communications Steven Owen. He said they are working with the Tennessee Department of Corrections to create and implement policies that boost security and safety while providing convicts with services to prepare them for reintegration into society.
An audit found that CoreCivic kept potential targets of sexual abuse in the same units as possible perpetrators of the crime. Further allegations against CoreCivic include inadequate investigations into allegations of physical harassment and abuse in their jails.
According to Linda Henson, her son Stephen Baker has been subjected to forced intercourse and beatings throughout his time at the institution. She is praying that federal prosecutors would intervene on behalf of her son and the other prisoners. Baker has been a victim of abuse for the past two years while incarcerated in Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. Henson believes that just because someone committed a crime doesn’t mean they should be belittled or brutalized.
Trousdale Turner had reportedly been experiencing appalling issues since its opening, according to publicly accessible information. Despite CoreCivic’s ownership and operation of Trousdale, the safety of the inmates at that facility is ultimately the responsibility of the State of Tennessee. Leventis said that the investigation will determine if the state is living up to its constitutional duties.
