As federal investigators scrutinize alleged civil rights violations at a privately operated prison in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday called private prison operator CoreCivic a “very important partner” of the state, and praised the company’s “commitment to reducing turnover.”
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday announced a civil investigation into conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville, a privately run prison plagued by understaffing, violence , contraband and sexual misconduct allegations.
In response to the investigation CoreCivic has said the company is working with the Department of Corrections and DOJ to address areas of concern, as the "safety and dignity of every person in our care is a top priority."
For years, allegations of misconduct at CoreCivic facilities, including Trousdale, have been made in lawsuits, testimony before state lawmakers, and audits by the Tennessee Comptroller. While the state routinely fines CoreCivic for contract violations, lawmakers have continued to approve increases to CoreCivic contracts, including a $7 million increase for the state’s contract with South Central Correctional Facility approved in this year’s budget.
On Tuesday, Lee said CoreCivic is responsible for performing to the state's contract standards, and praised the publicly traded company for its efforts to reduce astronomical staff turnover at Trousdale, the state's largest prison.
“Commissioner [Frank] Strada has spent quite a bit of time going to that very facility to make sure that if there are deficiencies that we work to meet them,” Lee told reporters on Wednesday.
“CoreCivic's been a very important partner to the state in operating the prisons that they operate,” Lee said. “We want to know when there are deficiencies. We want to make sure that we're operating our prisons in the way that we should. And we will determine that through this process. We'll see what happens.”
CoreCivic's political action committee is among the highest spenders in Tennessee politics, contributing more than $100,000 to candidates in the 2022 and 2018 cycles, and $73,000 so far this year. Lee's campaign directly received at least $85,300 from CoreCivic Inc. and its partner PAC during the 2018 and 2022 cycles.
State has charged CoreCivic millions in breach of contract fines
In fact, CoreCivic has been required to pay millions of dollars in damages to the Tennessee Department of Corrections for breach of contract violations in recent years, records of correspondence between TDOC commissioners and CoreCivic leadership shows.
TDOC has fined CoreCivic $7.27 million in damages for violations at South Central Correctional Facility alone since January 2019. CoreCivic operates four prisons in Tennessee.
More: Court records detail years of understaffing at a Tennessee CoreCivic prison
It’s unclear when CoreCivic was last successful in meeting contract standards at any of its four facilities in Tennessee.
“It’s important that they do live up to them and that we continue to hold them accountable when they don’t live up to the standards,” Lee said, noting the state charges CoreCivic fines when they fall short of contract requirements.
Lee did not comment Tuesday on whether fines imposed by the state are enough to ensure the company’s compliance with its state prison contracts.
Records, audit shows chronic staff vacancies impacting inmate safety
Chief among the contract violations outlined in state damages records is CoreCivic’s chronic staffing vacancies across all four prison facilities it operates ― most notably at Trousdale.
State auditors found in December that 57% of necessary posts at Trousdale were unfilled. During a site visit at Trousdale in March 2023, 131 of 230 necessary posts were vacant, the audit found.
Most positions were left unfilled for 100 or more days and some had been vacant for more than a year, according to TDOC notices of noncompliance sent to CoreCivic through the department’s contract monitoring protocol. State contracts require positions to be filled within 45 days.
Unstaffed positions at the facility included correctional officers, nurses, mental health professionals, case managers, an investigator, a recreation coordinator, academic and vocational instructors, and administrative clerks. Entire housing units were left unstaffed for weeks.
“We have seen turnover numbers and vacancies — that problem — we've seen that improve, and we'll be looking for more improvement,” Lee said Tuesday, without citing specific data. "And we will hold them accountable, because they have a responsibility — ultimately, the state does — but through our providers, they have a responsibility to operate prisons in the way that they should be operated.”
Auditors in December found that staffing shortages impacted management’s ability to operate safely and securely. Trousdale correctional officers surveyed by the comptroller’s office said short staffing made the job “that much more dangerous” and “makes it difficult and very tiring to complete all duties.”
“While at Trousdale I feel unsafe at all times,” one officer wrote in an audit survey response.
“Correction Officers are working blocks by themselves,” another wrote. “We haven’t had partners in over 2 years. Sometimes there is one officer for 4 blocks. We are hiring young kids who have NO idea how to speak to grown men.”
Lee praises efforts to decrease turnover
On Wednesday, Lee praised CoreCivic’s efforts to reduce staff turnover.
“The state increased correctional officer pay by 30% just about a year ago — and that has had a ripple effect, even on private providers as well,” he said. “That process will take time.”
Trousdale has the highest turnover rate of any state prison facility: seeing a 188% staff turnover in 2023 — 74% higher than the preceding year, according to the December 2023 audit.
“I certainly think CoreCivic has begun to show that commitment to reducing turnover in their correctional department,” he added, called audits an “important” part of the state's oversight.
“We want to know where the shortcomings are, and we want to take steps moving forward, and I believe that we will see that we have taken steps,” Lee said, calling accountability “a never-ending process.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com or on X at @Vivian_E_Jones.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee defends CoreCivic amid breach of contract fines and DOJ probe
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