The Tennessee Department of Correction supervises more than 20,000
inmates and employs more than 5,000 people. There are 16 prisons
in the state system, three of which are managed privately by
Corrections Corporation of America. Female inmates in the State
of Tennessee are housed in two prisons, one in
Nashville and the other in Memphis. Male inmates are housed in
the 14 other prisons located across the state. Inmates in
need of acute or continuing medical care are housed at the Lois M.
DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville.
On
September 8, 2005, Governor Bredesen appointed George M. Little as the new
Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction. Little most
recently served as Director of Shelby County Division of Corrections,
where he provided oversight of the administrative functions of the
division, including the preparation of the division's operating and
capital budgets and general oversight of the day-to-day operations of
the division. Little said, "I appreciate the opportunity
Governor Bredesen has given me to use my background knowledge and
years of experience to lead this valuable state department.
Governor Bredesen and I share a common vision for the role correction
plays in our state, and I look forward to working with him and with
the dedicated employees of the department in my new role."
Little was sworn in as the new commissioner on October 3, 2005.
All Tennessee inmates are required to work or attend school during
their incarceration. The overall goal is to assist them in learning a marketable
skill to be used upon their release. Nearly a thousand
inmates work in the state's prison industry program known as TRICOR.
The remaining inmates work in support service roles throughout the
institutions or participate in community work crews that assist
neighboring communities. Since 1996, TDOC work crews have
performed more than 10 million hours of community service.
Approximately 2,635 inmates are attending adult education classes in an
attempt to obtain their GED. 1,905 more are actively pursuing a
vocational certificate.
The Tennessee Department of Correction continues to be one of a few
states to maintain its national accredited status by the American
Correctional Association.
In 2005, the department implemented two transition communities
within our prisons which are designed to gradually prepare offenders
to live successfully in the free world. They were a direct
outgrowth of a previously federally funded reentry initiative that
took place in 2002. Statistics show that 97%
of all inmates eventually leave prison.
The department has also been recognized nationally for its cost
savings measures in recycling and its unique management organization
of death row.
