LEGITIMATE, OR A COZY ARRANGEMENT? by Sharon Rondeau (Mar. 30, 2019) — A copy of a letter received Friday from Tennessee inmate Grenda Ray Harmer, #88710, cites a state law which suggests that Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Commissioner Tony Parker is prohibited from assuming responsibilities adjunct to his leadership at the agency. Harmer is […]
AMID RE-ACCREDITATION OF THREE FACILITIES BY NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL ORGANIZATION by Sharon Rondeau (Jan. 22, 2019) — In two letters received last week and on Tuesday, respectively, MCCX inmate Grenda Ray Harmer, #88710, reported that on January 8, a gang member was stabbed dozens of times and all Tennessee prisons subsequently placed in “lockdown” mode, meaning […]
“I HAVE COMPLAINED WITHOUT SUCCESS” by Sharon Rondeau (Dec. 7, 2018) — A copy of a memo directed to Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Commissioner Tony Parker received by this writer on Friday reiterates inmate Grenda Ray Harmer’s claim that his cell is frigid as winter has once again settled in to mountainous Morgan County, […]
INMATE HAS REPORTED NUMEROUS SECURITY VIOLATIONS TO NO AVAIL by Sharon Rondeau (Oct. 30, 2018) — An inmate letter received on Monday accuses Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Tony Parker of “lying to the media” in regard to his claim in an article last month that the department “will not tolerate any threat to the […]
TO IMPRESS TDOC COMMISSIONER DURING VISIT by Sharon Rondeau (Aug. 3, 2018) — An original letter written by TDOC inmate Jeffery Johnson to Mr. John Fisher, TDOC Regional Director, recounts a July 20, 2018 visit on Fisher’s part to the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center (TTCC), which is owned and operated by the private corporation CoreCivic. […]
EXCORIATES WARDEN FOR NOT “PROTECTING SOCIETY BETTER” by Sharon Rondeau (Jan. 20, 2018) — Enclosed with a letter received on Friday from TDOC inmate Grenda Ray Harmer, #88710, was a copy of a report sent to Commissioner Tony Parker stating that a means of possible inmate escape was not properly safeguarded by Warden Shawn Phillips […]
INMATE PREDICTS CORRECTIONS STAFF “WILL HARASS ME FOR EXPOSING THEM” by Sharon Rondeau (Dec. 5, 2017) — Enclosed with a letter received last week from TDOC inmate Grenda Harmer, #88710, was an “Administrative Notice” addressed to Commissioner Tony Parker citing the violation of a Tennessee statute, TDOC policy and the facility’s own policy on the […]
“DEAR COMMISSIONER PARKER…” by Sharon Rondeau (Aug. 28, 2017) — The following copy of a letter addressed to Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Commissioner Tony Parker was received by this writer on Monday and provides full details about a confrontation at the Morgan County Correctional Complex (MCCX) in Wartburg, TN on July 28, 2017 between […]
REPORT: CORRECTION OFFICERS JOKE ABOUT FOOD TO INMATE ON LENGTHY HUNGER STRIKE by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 5, 2017) — The journal entries which follow were sent by Tennessee inmate Grenda Harmer, #88710, who has been on a hunger strike for a month to protest harsh treatment he said he received upon his arrival at the […]
INMATE’S MEDICATIONS WITHHELD BY PRIVATE PRISON FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS by Sharon Rondeau (May 13, 2017) — On April 27, 2017, Tennessee inmate Grenda Harmer was placed in segregation, or solitary confinement, at the South Central Correctional Facility (SCCF) on a “pending investigation” (PI) status. One of the reasons alleged for PI status was […]
“IF NOT CORRECTED, IT WILL KILL ME” by Sharon Rondeau (May 1, 2017) — On Monday, The Post & Email received three letters from Tennessee state inmate Grenda Harmer, who wrote that once again he has been denied three essential prescription medications which have placed him at risk of death. Harmer is housed at the […]
“CLEARLY VIOLATES SECURITY PROTOCOL” by Sharon Rondeau (Apr. 1, 2017) — On March 8, a Tennessee prison inmate wrote to an official at the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) to inform him that a contracted security officer’s actions within his section, or “pod,” of the prison posed a “security threat.” A subsequent March 18, 2017 […]
TO “DEPARTMENT OF CORRUPTION” by Sharon Rondeau (Mar. 14, 2017) — In a letter received late last week, an inmate within the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) system reported that in late February, there were seven inmate heroin overdoses at his facility, with two occurring on February 26 “one right behind the other.” “One survived, […]
“HOW DO I GET THE LOCAL NEWS MEDIA INVOLVED?” by Sharon Rondeau (Feb. 19, 2017) — An inmate whose story prompted The Post & Email to contact the Tennessee prison commissioner and an officer at CoreCivic, the owner/operator of the prison in question, has asked to be identified. In our initial article containing the inmate’s […]
RESULTING FROM “TIER MANAGEMENT” by Sharon Rondeau (Jan. 21, 2017) — The following letter and chart supplement those received and published last week from inmate Grenda Harmer on the controversial “Tier Management” system used in Tennessee’s prisons and specifically at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center (TTCC) in Hartsville, Trousdale County. Tier Management was instituted by […]
“NO REDEEMING VALUE” by Sharon Rondeau (Jan. 17, 2017) — The following documentation received on Tuesday provides a detailed accounting of the “Tier Management” system implemented by former Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Commissioner Derrick Schofield, who resigned last June to take an executive position with the GEO Group, a global corrections company. The letter […]