NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United States Department of Justice said Tuesday that it has begun investigating Tennessee's largest correctional center for civil rights violations. The department said audits highlighted understaffing issues and safety concerns since Trousdale Turner Correctional Center opened in 2016.
The correctional center is the largest of its kind in Tennessee, and the department said it is operated by CoreCivic, a private correctional management company. U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis said the department has seen reports of physical assaults, sexual assaults, murders and also a 188% turnover rate among prison guards in 2023.
“Publicly available information suggests that Trousdale Turner has been plagued by serious problems since it first opened its doors,” he said. "Although CoreCivic owns and operates Trousdale, the State of Tennessee is ultimately responsible for the safety of the people incarcerated there. This investigation seeks to determine whether Tennessee is meeting its constitutional obligations.”
The Associated Press said between July 2022 and June 2023, the correctional center saw at least 196 assaults, 90 incidents of sexual misconduct, two murders and 15 other deaths categorized as "accidental." It also noted that although CoreCivic operates the prison, Tennessee is ultimately responsible for making sure prisoners' rights are not violated there.
In November 2023, the department separately said a former state corrections officer was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting an inmate in a holding cell at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility. The department said the incident happened in Aug. 2019.
The department said the inmate was sitting calmly in his holding cell when the former officer punched the inmate in the head and knocked him to the ground. The department said the guard then kicked and hit the inmate in the head, chest and torso despite the inmate not resisting. The officer then failed to provide medical care, the department said.
In September 2023, the Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation also asked the department to investigate the correctional center. In a letter sent to the Department of Justice, the foundation said it received several complaints "over the past several years and have seen news stories suggesting that the problems are not isolated or anecdotal, but rather, systemic."
The correctional center is located around an hour outside Nashville, in Hartsville. The AP said the state budgeted around $80 million for Trousdale, out of its total budget of $233 million for its four prison facilities.
