NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) has launched another round of targeted testing for COVID-19 in all state correctional facilities. In conjunction with the Department of Health, Department of Military, Core Civic and Centurion, additional testing will be conducted out of an abundance of caution and following the recent positive test results at the South Central Correctional Facility (SCCF).

Nashville - A second round of mass testing for COVID-19 has been completed at the South Central Correctional Facility in Wayne County. Of the 1,410 total tests conducted between Thursday and Friday of last week, 965 inmates tested positive with 168 test results pending.

HENNING- Thursday morning, TDOC Institutional Investigator Thomas Shell and his team of special agents conducted a scheduled vehicle search at the West Tennessee State Penitentiary (WTSP).

UNION CITY – As many prepare alternative approaches to hosting events, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is making the application more accessible to residents in West Tennessee.

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Prison for Women (TPFW) will now be known as the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center. Governor Bill Lee signed Executive Order No. 56 renaming the women’s facility in honor of the TDOC Correctional Administrator who was killed in the line of duty one year ago.

HENNING –He was once named one of the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted Fugitives.” Now, a former prison escapee is back in Tennessee to serve the remainder of his sentence. Lohman Ray Mays, Jr, an habitual offender who escaped from the Turney Center Industrial Prison 36 years ago, was recaptured in Wyoming in 1985 and has since been serving a federal sentence for bank robbery.

PIKEVILLE – Six people have been arrested after a special operation by the Tennessee Department of Correction’s Office of Investigations & Conduct (OIC). TDOC special agents began apprehending individuals indicted by the Bledsoe County Grand Jury last week.

Nashville – August 7, 2020 will mark a somber anniversary for the Tennessee Department of Correction. It was on this day, one year ago, that our beloved Correctional Administrator Debra Johnson was killed in the line of duty.

NASHVILLE – The Department of Correction has taken a unique approach to reaching out to inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because visitation at all state prisons has been suspended since March, TDOC has partnered with the 4th Purpose Foundation to bring visitation back--via video messaging.

HENNING – Offering offenders opportunities and access to a second chance is an important part of what we do in TDOC. At the Women’s Therapeutic Residential Center (WTRC), women enrolled in the cosmetology program are not only thriving, but they are also learning to navigate new challenges in the age of COVID-19.

NASHVILLE – In accordance with state law, representatives from the following news media agencies have been selected to witness the execution of inmate Harold Nichols #146457.

NASHVILLE - Thanks to an agreement reached with Tennessee State University, the Department of Correction is expanding its large network of agricultural programs. On Monday, July 6, Commissioner Tony Parker signed an agreement that will allow land near the old Charles Bass Correctional Complex to be used in TSU’s agricultural sciences program.

HENNING – An arrest has been made after an internal investigation into a Correctional Officer’s attempt to introduce contraband into the West Tennessee State Penitentiary (WTSP).

NASHVILLE – In accordance with state law, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is now accepting applications from recognized Tennessee news organizations to serve as statutorily required witnesses for the scheduled execution of death row inmate Harold Nichols #146457.

Many parts of Tennessee are adjusting to a new normal in the age of COVID-19 and TDOC is no exemption. On Tuesday, some of the inmate work crews from the Turney Center Industrial Complex Annex in Wayne County resumed work, all while practicing safe social distancing protocol.