Starting this month, a new 60-bed facility will provide immediate mental health care for some people who are arrested in Nashville with a mental illness, rather than locking them in a jail cell. Nationwide protests this summer have strengthened calls to spend less money on jails and more on mental health. The sheriff says he’s […]
Metro Prison COVID-19 Outbreak Goes Unnoticed Due To Reporting Loophole
More than one-third of the 460 men and women at a private prison in Nashville have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks. But the outbreak has not been publicized because a special agreement between the state, Metro and CoreCivic has left the facility in a sort of transparency limbo.
Nashville Sheriff Races To Get Ready To Take Over Prison From CoreCivic
In just over a month, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office will take over a local prison that’s been privately run since it was built nearly three decades ago. Under pressure from councilmembers and activists, CoreCivic decided to cut its contract short. Now, the sheriff is scrambling to get ready for some major changes.
Jail Releases Early On In COVID-19 Pandemic Didn’t Spike Crime, Data Shows
A new analysis from the American Civil Liberties Union finds that many of the countries largest cities — including Nashville and Memphis — saw reductions in both jail populations and crimes reported this spring. That could encourage officials to keep jail populations low.
Nashville Jail Cases Climbing, Forcing A Staffing Shift
Climbing infections inside a Nashville jail is forcing a change in how correctional officers do their work. Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall says that 30 employees will be moved from normal duties into correctional officer positions at a facility in South Nashville.
Nashville Leaders Say They’ve Found A Way To End The City’s Contract With Private Prison Operator CoreCivic
Nashville’s Metro Council is renewing a push to end the city’s contract with private prison operator CoreCivic, and this time they have the support of the county sheriff, who says he’s found a way to take over operations of the detention facility in South Nashville.
Mass Testing At Davidson County Jail Reveals 135 New Coronavirus Cases
An additional 135 inmates at the men’s Davidson County Correctional Development Center have tested positive for the coronavirus after a round of mass testing at the minimum security jail.
Nashville Oversight Group Considering Its Own Investigation Into February In-Custody Death
Nashville’s Community Oversight Board wants to investigate the death of a man who was arrested in February. The officers who arrested Gabriel Hines have been accused of using physical force. The Metro Nashville Police Department says an internal investigation cleared them of wrongdoing. But the city’s new police oversight group still has questions.
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