Drug deaths have jumped more than eightfold in Tennessee prisons in the past two years. That’s left people inside, their loved ones and even officials feeling desperate.
Tennessee has the nation’s harshest sentence for juveniles convicted of murder. The state’s supreme court will decide if it’s constitutional.
Anyone found guilty of first-degree murder must serve a minimum of 51 years in Tennessee — even if they were juveniles at the time. Now, justices are considering whether that mandatory minimum sentence violates adolescents’ constitutional rights.
Prisons Are Making People Sick — And Not Just Those Behind Bars
At first, Dawn Harrington blamed herself when her younger brother went to prison. She questioned whether she’d been a good influence. She developed anxiety, then fell into a deep depression.
How A Tennessee Man Found Freedom In The Midst Of A Pandemic
Tracston Neal was released from a Tennessee prison in April after serving more than a decade behind bars. Now, he’s adjusting back to life on the outside in the midst of a pandemic.
Tennessee Takes A First Step Toward Better Health For Pregnant Women In Jails And Prisons
Pregnancy testing. Advice on healthy eating. Postpartum care. These are some of the services that Tennessee jails and prisons are now required to offer the state’s growing population of female inmates. That’s thanks to a new bill (SB 1839/HB 1651), passed by the legislature last week.
Tennessee Officials Say Most Prisoners With The Coronavirus Are Asymptomatic. Health Experts Doubt That.
Mass testing at two Tennessee prisons has uncovered nearly 2,000 cases of the coronavirus behind bars so far.
As COVID-19 Spreads Through Tennessee’s Largest Prison, Loved Ones Say Information Is Hard To Find
More than half of inmates at Tennessee’s largest prison have now tested positive for the coronavirus, in one of the biggest hotspots in the country. But amid the testing and quarantining of inmates, those with loved ones behind bars say it’s been nearly impossible to get information.
From Prison To Pandemic: What Reentry Looks Like During COVID-19
Reentering society after a lengthy prison sentence is difficult even in the best of times. But these days, it’s harder than usual. Jobs are scarce, resources are limited, and support systems have been forced apart. Those leaving prison are finding that adjusting back to “normal” life isn’t an option right now.
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