Tennessee’s private prisons could see a reduction in their inmate populations if death rates in the facilities continue to increase.
Legislation to increase oversight in the CoreCivic facilities received a final OK from the Senate on Tuesday before the 2025 General Assembly adjourned for the year.Â
Republicans stay united in passing legislation, blocking Democrats’ efforts
The proposed bill, now en route to the governor’s desk to become state law, will require a facility’s inmate population to be reduced by 10 percent if the death rate is twice the rate of an equivalent state-operated prison. It also requires the population reductions to continue until the prison can correct the issues causing a higher death rate. The initial 10 percent reduction must go into effect within 90 days of the report of a high death rate.Â
The bill received bipartisan support from lawmakers, passing unanimously in both the House and Senate. It was sponsored by Lebanon Republicans Sen. Mark Pody and Rep. Clark Boyd.Â
Pody has said that the four CoreCivic prisons currently operating in Tennessee are already at twice the death rate of comparable state-run facilities, meaning inmates would start being taken out of the private facilities when the law goes into effect.Â
Tim Leeper — the father of Kyle Leeper, who died in a CoreCivic-run prison — testified before the Senate State and Local Government Committee in March. He urged lawmakers to vote for the bill and pushed an end to private prisons in Tennessee.Â
“When an inmate’s freedom is forfeited at the prison door, at the very least they should be able to expect is to be kept alive,” Leeper said. “CoreCivic cannot be trusted to keep inmates alive. They have become desensitized to death and human suffering.”
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In recent years, Brentwood-based CoreCivic has faced several lawsuits related to inmate deaths. State audits have found staffing issues with high turnover rates, violation of state policies and inadequate facilities and medical care.Â
CoreCivic is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in regard to conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville. In addition, officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced in June 2024 the termination of a contract with CoreCivic, resulting in the closure of a migrant detention facility in Texas.Â
CoreCivic is a publicly traded company. Its shares (ticker: CXW) were valued at $21.67 at the conclusion of Tuesday's trading session, up $0.16 and representing a 0.74 percent increase.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
