NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A report by prisoner advocacy groups says there have been 10 homicides in Tennessee's privately run state prisons since March 2014, versus five in state-run lockups.
Wednesday's report is by the Human Rights Defense Center and No Exceptions Prison Collective. It says Nashville-based private prison operator CoreCivic's state facilities had a homicide rate more than four times higher than public state facilities.
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CoreCivic spokeswoman Amanda Gilchrist says the report is misleading. She claims CoreCivic's facilities hold a higher concentration of dangerous inmates.
CoreCivic Full Statement in response to report
However, Alex Friedmann of the Human Rights Defense Center notes that Tennessee's maximum security prisons are exclusively state-run.
CoreCivic runs four Tennessee state prisons, while the state operates 10. On average, public prisons held 70% of Tennessee's prisoners over the timeframe studied.
