TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 14, 2024

During recent budget hearings, Gov. Bill Lee addressed the need to fill correctional officer roles. According to Lee, Tennessee prisons are experiencing a 26% vacancy rate in these positions with 651 current vacant positions. There were 1,200 officers hired this year; however, high turnover rates have left prisons struggling with long-term retention, WSMV reports. Lee floated the idea of setting up a retention specialist in each prison to help officers transition from the training academy to the job. He also announced that in about a month, the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville will begin a pilot program to shuttle employees from larger cities to the facility.