Four Trousdale Turner staff members hospitalized after attack by incarcerated man

Four staff members at troubled Trousdale Turner Correctional Center were hospitalized after an incarcerated man assaulted them with a weapon on Monday.

Brian Todd, public affairs manager for private prison company CoreCivic, which operates the facility, said the food service worker and three correctional officers who were attacked were taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and had been released as of Tuesday afternoon.

The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into Trousdale Turner for potential civil rights violations in August. The Hartsville prison has long been the site of violence, rampant drug use and sexual assault, the DOJ said when it announced its investigation. A December audit found CoreCivic was continually violating its contract with the state due to skyrocketing turnover rates at most of its facilities, and the state has fined the private prison operator nearly $15 million for contract violations at Trousdale Turner since 2019.

More: Inmates, families describe hellscape of drugs, gangs, death in Tennessee's largest prison

An incarcerated man assaulted a food service worker in the kitchen area of Trousdale Turner shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, Todd said. The three correctional officers who responded to the initial assault were also assaulted by the perpetrator before additional staff secured him, Todd said.

After the attack, the prison was placed on lockdown, meaning all those incarcerated in the facility were confined to their housing, as a precaution while an investigation is ongoing, Todd said. Any possible actions taken against the perpetrator would be decided after the investigation is complete, Todd said.

A Tennessee Department of Correction spokesperson declined to comment.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMe a lins .

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Four Trousdale Turner staff members hospitalized after attack by incarcerated man