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Tennessee Private Prison Company Has Paid Nearly $30m In Fines Since 2022

A private-prison company in Tennessee has paid more than $29.5 million in liquidated damages since 2022 for failing to meet state contractual requirements, mainly for staffing shortages at four facilities, the Tennessee Lookout reports. State Department of Correction officials disclosed the payments amid revelations of another lawsuit against CoreCivic involving an inmate’s death at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a facility facing a federal investigation for civil rights violations. The state prison system, similarly to those in other states, struggles to hire officers and boosted pay in 2021 by about 35%. CoreCivic’s vacancy rate at four state prisons is higher than the state’s, which has led to the publicly-traded company that holds state contracts totaling $240 million continuing to be penalized by foregoing millions annually.


Trousdale Turner, which was assessed $7.38 million in penalties since 2022, experienced a 188% turnover rate for prison guards last year. Two other prisons were fined $9.75 million and $8.54 million, respectively. The company  as a whole sustained a 146% turnover rate in 2023 because of difficulty hiring correctional officers, making it more difficult to monitor prisoners and avert safety risks. Yet the state increased its payout to CoreCivic by $7 million, and Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is “satisfied” with CoreCivic’s efforts and reiterated Wednesday he has no plan to stop private prison operations. “I’ve said many times our partnership with CoreCivic has been very rewarding for the state,” Strada said, contending the company makes improvements after the state levies penalties.

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