“THIS PLACE HASN’T CHANGED MUCH”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Jan. 10, 2017) — As has been reported by numerous inmates and their relatives over eight months, an updated report on conditions at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center (TTCC) from an inmate states that a “big gang fight” occurred on Thanksgiving Day resulting in multiple stabbings.
While accounts have differed on the number of injuries sustained, the inmate whose letter was received on Monday stated it to be at five.
As a result of the violent incident, the prison was put on lockdown, a common, if not virtually continuous, situation with the privately-run facility in Hartsville, TN.
In an apparent improvement, however, the inmate reported that “…they put us on modified thats where we get out for two hours. Now they are letting us out for four hours.” [sic]
Inmates have previously reported being on lockdown for 23 hours a day for weeks on end, including minimum-security inmates with no “write-ups.”
However, despite the reported improvement, the inmate wrote that “They still don’t give us no rec, like the gym or outside. And they still fit us in the pod and the food is cold. Heck they have two chow halls.” [sic]
Cold food, including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches “served for breakfast,” has been a common complaint among the prison population.
Failure to receive prescribed medications from Centurion, the privately-contracted medical provider, is another. Health hazards and inmate deaths have been reported.
“This place hasn’t changed much,” the inmate summarized early in his letter.
In the most frequently-heard complaint, the inmate said, “They are still under staffed and they have officers that just gets tired of the cr** and just quit’s and just walks out. They say it’s not the inmate’s, it’s the staff and how they treat us.” [sic]
Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Communications Director Neysa Taylor claims that all of the eyewitness and anecdotal reports The Post & Email has received about conditions at TTCC are “inaccurate,” having made the same claim to WSMV Channel 4’s “I-Team” following its reportage that gang members were allowed to complete correction officer training as related by a former training academy instructor.
