County Jail fails re-certification

A re-inspection report issued by the State Department Tennessee Corrections Institute finds the Cannon County Jail has been recommended by the Detention Facility Specialist to be non-certified. Several deficiencies were found.

There is currently serious inmate overcrowding. The inspection report reveals that two inmates are housed in the jail's library and four are housed in the visitation room. Inmates must ask to use the bathroom or take a shower. Inmates have not had family visitation in three weeks.

Staffing is poor because of lack of funds. There are only two officers per shift which cannot supervise the number of inmates at the jail.

Also at the time of the reinspection, the jail does not have a certified full-time officer and will not be able to train one in 2017 due to lack of funding.

Currently there are 34 male beds and 8 female beds. Total certified capacity is only 42.

The day of the inspection, there were 71 people in jail.

Cannon County Sheriff Darrell Young has warned the Cannon County Commissioners and the Budget Committee because of the lack of jail staff and overcrowding conditions, the county could be looking at a lawsuit from an inmate if problems aren't fixed quickly.