Governor Lee responds to Justice Department investigation into Tennessee prison

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Governor Bill Lee is responding to a new federal investigation into a Tennessee prison that has been identified as problematic in the last three audit reports prepared by the state.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced it launched the investigation into the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center after numerous incidents occurred over the previous eight years, including stabbings, 196 assaults, two murders, 15 deaths ruled accidental and 90 cases of sexual misconduct.

Trousdale Turner Correctional Center is a private prison owned by Brentwood-based CoreCivic. The state has contracted the company to operate the prison, and the current contract with Tennessee runs through June 2026. The facility opened in 2016 on the site of a nuclear reactor in Hartsville that never became operational. More than 2,000 men live there as inmates.

For investigation: New federal investigation will examine living conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center

“The audits are important,” Lee said. “The auditor's audits are part of the accountability process. We understand that. We know it. We want those audits to happen and we want to know where the deficiencies are. We want to take steps to move forward and I believe we will see that we have taken steps to move forward, but it is a never-ending process. We should be auditing every prison, every facility and making sure that it is being operated as it should. And if we find a deficiency or a deficit, we step in and make sure it is corrected.”

Audits have shown that Trousdale has had problems almost since it opened in 2016.

An audit by the state auditor's office released in December found that at least 57% of the facility's positions were vacant. This had a domino effect that led to other problems, from the failure to deliver rape kits to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to a waiting list of more than 1,000 inmates awaiting treatment programs at the facility.”

About the audits: The Department of Justice is currently investigating a prison in Tennessee. State reports say there are warnings.

The current head of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, Frank Strada, had only been in office for a few months at the time of the audit. He was sworn into office by Governor Lee in early 2023.

“Commissioner Strada has spent a lot of time visiting this very facility to make sure we are working to address any deficiencies,” Lee said. “We have reduced the number of inmates in the facility over the last period. CoreCivic is a very important partner with the state in operating the prisons that it operates. We want to know when there are deficiencies. We want to know if we are operating our prisons the way we should, and that is what we will determine through this process. We will see what happens.”

However, the balance sheet published in December showed that fewer than 30 beds were available and the facility was at 96% capacity.

The governor did not receive any further information regarding the Justice Department's allegations.

Are you affected?

The Civil Rights Division's Special Litigation Section is conducting this investigation in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Individuals with relevant information are asked to contact the department by phone at 888-392-7031 or by email at [email protected].

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at [email protected].

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