TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 30, 2025

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner says the doors at the Shelby County Jail began failing in March 2024 and now the facility has 636 that need replacing. Buckner says the project will cost $6.2 million and take two years to complete, the Daily Memphian reports. The doors, which operate on a sliding mechanism, have failed repeatedly throughout the last year, leading to a rise in inmate-on-inmate assaults and assaults against jail staff according to Buckner. He also says that “inmates learned strategies on defeating the doors or taking the doors back offline,” including kicking the doors in certain spots to keep them off their rails. Repairs have started and crews will be working on two pods at a time. The sheriff’s office received funding for door repairs at least twice last year, most recently a $10 million tranche from the Shelby County Commission in September. Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. has repeatedly stated his desire for a new jail, which could cost upwards of $1 billion.