Decades ago, Tennessee created drug-free school zone laws to deter people from selling drugs in places where children are likely to be. But now, the state is making adjustments for cases that don’t involve kids.
Former Tennessee prisons director says ‘truth in sentencing’ bill could balloon prison population and make communities less safe
WPLN criminal justice reporter Samantha Max sat down with This is Nashville host Khalil Ekulona to unpack the so-called “truth in sentencing” bill.
Lawsuit: Tennessee private prison should improve conditions or be shut down
The family of a man who was killed in a Tennessee prison last year has sued the private, Brentwood-based company that runs it.
Tennessee lawmakers could make big changes to criminal sentences in 2022
Some want to make it easier for people to get out of prison. Others want to make it harder.
Tennessee’s prison commissioner is sounding the alarm on major staffing shortages
The pandemic has only exacerbated the state’s yearslong staffing shortage at its prisons — and the dangers it can cause behind bars. To remedy the issue, the outgoing corrections commissioner is urging the legislature to boost pay.
Tennessee Vaccinations To Prioritize Households Of ‘Medically Fragile’ Children
Tennessee is tweaking its vaccine distribution strategy again, releasing an updated plan Friday that moves the families of medically fragile children into the state’s 1c phase, along with patients who have poor health themselves. Dr. Lisa Piercey, the state’s health commissioner, says these additions include residents of households with children on ventilators, or those who […]
With New Pell Grant Rules, Thousands Of Tennessee Prisoners Could Access College Courses
Jameel Spann was a junior year at Fisk University when he got arrested. Facing a 15-year prison sentence, he didn’t know if he’d ever graduate.
Rural Tennessee County Becomes A National COVID-19 Hot Spot As Prison Grapples With Deadly Outbreak
Most Tennessee prisons are currently reporting few or no active cases of COVID-19. Three have even opened back up for visitation this month. But an outbreak at a facility in northeast Tennessee has become one of the deadliest.
Innocence Project Makes Final Plea For DNA Testing In Pervis Payne Death Penalty Case
Payne has never denied he was there. But his attorneys say testing could prove someone else was there, too. That could be enough to overturn his sentence.
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.
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