Terry Deshawn Childress’ death marked the 17th homicide in a Tennessee prison in the past five years. All but three of those deaths occurred at private facilities, even though they house only about a third of the state’s prisoners.
As Presidential Debate Puts Belmont University In The Spotlight, Students And Alumni Demand Break With Private Prisons
A group wants Belmont to divest from CoreCivic, a for-profit prison company with close ties to the school and the Republican Party. It plans to hold a demonstration near campus Thursday, before the presidential debate.
Targeted Testing Reveals Coronavirus Clusters At Several Tennessee Prisons
A new round of mass testing at Tennessee prisons has uncovered small outbreaks at several state-run facilities. The Department of Correction says about 400 people who were swabbed last week have come back positive so far.
Massive Coronavirus Outbreak At CoreCivic Prison In Middle Tennessee Raises Questions
Another round of mass testing has uncovered nearly 1,000 cases of the coronavirus at a Tennessee prison, with more results coming. CoreCivic, which manages the facility, says nearly all are asymptomatic. But prisoners’ loved ones say they’re hearing a different story.
‘Punching Bag’ No More: Private Prison Company CoreCivic Announces End To Contract With Metro
CoreCivic is pulling out of its contract to run the Metro Detention Facility this fall. The announcement comes days after two Metro councilmembers introduced a resolution to end Nashville’s relationship with the private corrections company.
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.
Private Prison Company CoreCivic Made Big Promises To A Tennessee Town. Did They Deliver?
Exactly four years ago, a struggling town in Middle Tennessee became home to the largest prison in the state. Since then, the private facility owned by CoreCivic has been plagued by chronic staffing shortages and unsafe conditions.
Nashville Council Members Move To End Private Prison Operator Contract
Some members of Nashville’s Metro Council say they’re ready to end a contract with private prison operator CoreCivic.
A Conflicted City Council Makes Statement Against For-Profit Prison Operators
Listen Nashville’s Metro Council waded into the thorny political issue of private prison operations on Tuesday, ultimately deciding to oppose any city employee pension funds from being invested into for-profit prisons, including locally based CoreCivic.
Metro Council Will Vote On Resolution Asking City Not To Invest Benefit Fund In Private Prisons
Listen Update: This story has been updated to reflect new information from the Office of Metro’s Finance Director, which says all Core Civic investments were sold in November 2016. Metro Council members on Tuesday will vote on a measure asking the city to stop investing money from its employee pension fund into for-profit prisons. […]
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