A riot and lockdown at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Tennessee on Sunday night and Monday, which involved a mass multi-agency police response and injuries among corrections officers and incarcerated people, has drawn a renewed focus on Trousdale’s long record of troubling safety problems.

In response to this latest incident, members of the national Safer Prisons, Safer Communities campaign – including nonprofits FAMM and One Voice United who represent the voices of incarcerated people and their families, and correctional employees, respectively – released the following statements:

"The recent events at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility are as horrific as they are unsurprising and preventable,” said Matthew Charles, State Legislative Affairs Manager of nonprofit FAMM. “Violence and chaos have pervaded Trousdale Turner since its opening in 2016. The people who live and work there fear for their lives on a daily basis. For good reason. FAMM has received numerous accounts of the deplorable conditions incarcerated people endure at Trousdale. That is why FAMM urged the Department of Justice to launch its ongoing investigation into Trousdale Turner and has advocated independent prison oversight in the state. Violence continues unabated despite the federal investigation. Tennessee's leaders must not delay comprehensive reform and independent oversight of Trousdale Turner any longer."

“Every day correctional officers are asked to walk into dangerous and unpredictable environments and perform one of the toughest and most underappreciated jobs in America,” said Andy Potter, Executive Director of nonprofit One Voice United. “While the riot at Trousdale Turner was resolved without loss of life, this incident underscores the harsh reality of a correctional system pushed past its limits, suffering from chronic understaffing, insufficient training, and a lack of oversight that has led to increasingly dangerous conditions. As more details emerge in the coming days, the people of Tennessee deserve clear answers and the men and women who work behind the walls deserve action. We owe it to them to not only understand what went wrong, but to commit to real, lasting, change that prioritizes their safety and prevents these types of horrific events from happening again.”

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About Safer Prisons, Safer Communities

Founded in early 2024, the Safer Prisons, Safer Communities campaign is led by One Voice United, which represents the voices of correctional employees, and FAMM, which represents incarcerated people and their families.

Driven by the dire conditions inside our nation’s prisons, the campaign brings together seemingly unlikely allies to advocate for reforms that will improve the lives of corrections officers and incarcerated people alike, improve rehabilitation and reintegration opportunities, and enhance community safety.