Thursday, November 16, 2017

Trousdale Prison issues
Cocke County is not the only governmental entity with jail problems. Staffing and inmate numbers at Tennessee's largest private prison have created issues, according to a new state audit that raises new questions about oversight of the $250 million contract. The audit, released Tuesday, blasted outsourced prison operator CoreCivic, for problems at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, the newest and largest prison in the state. It said gangs are allowed to operate in the prison. "Trousdale Turner Correctional Center management’s continued noncompliance with contract requirements and department policies, challenges the department’s ability to effectively monitor the private prison," the audit states. Said Republican Representative Jeremy Faison of Cosby, "Sometimes when you're in the wrong, you have to take it like a jackass in a hail storm...Department of Correction, you've failed in a lot of areas. It's egregious to the people of Tennessee, to the taxpayers and to the people that are there in the prisons." Tennessee House Democratic leaders, frequent critics of private prisons and advocates for additional prison oversight, also were critical of the audit findings. House Minority leader Mike Stewart, Democrat of Nashville, said he would support a legislative procedural move to delay department operations until the audit findings are addressed.


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