Nashville Prison Puts Mentally Ill Inmates in Danger

Nashville Prison Puts Mentally Ill Inmates in Danger

A state prison in Nashville that houses men with mental illnesses is facing a critical shortage of corrections officers.

The prison’s leadership has put out an “all hands on deck” call, characterized the situation as “emergency staffing issues” and reassigned day shift so remaining officers can man posts as needed, according to documents obtained by The Tennessean.

The manpower shortage at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility worsened after the prison implemented a 28-day schedule — a change intended to save $1.4 million statewide in wage costs.

The new staffing schedule has been implemented in prisons statewide, including others in Nashville that already had high turnover rates. Corrections officers moved from a traditional 40-hour work week with overtime to a system that requires overtime when the hours worked exceed 212 in a 28-day work period.

The new schedule didn’t cause the manpower shortages, but it did make it harder for the workers to plan for family obligations and part-time jobs.

Riverbend Maximum Security System, Tennessee Prison for Women and Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility had the three highest turnover rates for officers in the state, according to documents the Tennessee Department of Correction prepared for a December budget hearing. (continue reading at Tennessean)

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