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.
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.
COVID-19 Deaths Rising In Tennessee Prisons
Two Tennessee prisoners who tested positive for COVID-19 have died this week, bringing the state’s total number of incarcerated deaths since the start of the pandemic to eight.
Most Tennessee Prisons Have Been Touched By COVID-19, New Testing Shows
Nearly every prison in Tennessee has at least one confirmed case of the coronavirus, according to new results from statewide mass testing that occurred last week. Overall, about 2,500 inmates have tested positive since the Tennessee Department of Correction reported its first case in April. Three have died.
Investigation: How The Coronavirus Ran Rampant Through A Tennessee Prison
About 600 inmates and staff have since tested positive for the virus, making the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex one of the largest hotspots in the country.