Morgan County Correctional Complex

Photo of Warden Shawn Phillips

Warden Shawn Phillips


541 Wayne Cotton Morgan Drive

P.O. Box 2000

Wartburg, Tennessee 37887

(Morgan County)

(423) 346-1300

*Use P.O. Box 2000 for offender correspondence.

Morgan county Correctional Complex

The Morgan County Correctional Complex (MCCX), located in Wartburg, is a maximum-security facility with an operating capacity of 2,128 inmates.  MCCX houses male offenders with custody levels ranging from minimum to maximum and is one of Morgan County’s largest employers with approximately 800 staff.

In 2009, a major expansion of the facility was completed, resulting in the closure of the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.  MCCX is roughly 500,000 square feet and sits on 65 acres in east Tennessee.

The facility offers a multitude of evidence-based programs to meet the rehabilitative needs of offenders.  Offenders have access to numerous academic programs including Adult Basic Education (ABE), High School Equivalency (HiSET) exam prep courses, and literacy classes.  The facility offers vocational programs including Career Exploration, Welding, Career Management for Success, Core HVAC and Refrigeration, Core Masonry I & II, and Core Construction.  To address the behavioral health needs of inmates, MCCX offers evidence-based psychotherapy, a mental health supportive living unit, cognitive behavior intervention program, special management group therapy, substance use group therapy, substance use therapeutic community, substance use aftercare, and workforce development.

Through community partnerships, MCCX offers:

  • Associate degree program in general studies through Roane State Community College
  • Bachelor’s degree program in ministry studies through Carson Newman University
  • Computer Information Technologies, Building Construction Trades, Welding, Culinary Arts and Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) certifications through Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT)

Offenders not involved in academic or vocational programs are required to work in support service roles throughout the prison including landscaping, janitorial services, or food services.  Additionally, some offenders are of the population is assigned community service work, providing thousands of hours of labor to local government and non-profit organizations each year.


To learn more, watch the videos below.