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Davidson County sues Tennessee over state prisoners in county jail

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After years of warnings, Nashville and Davidson County filed a suit against the state, claiming Tennessee prison officials did not transport inmates the state is legally required to house.

The lawsuit argues the Tennessee Department of Corrections failed to transfer convicted felons from Davidson County jail to state prison.

This follows up on a June story from NewsChannel 5 in which Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall threatened this suit against the state.

In the suit, Davidson County says they are holding 151 inmates that should be in state custody. These inmates are sentenced to seven years or longer and have had their sentencing documents for more than 14 days.

The average overstay is 153 days according to the suit. The county says they get $41 per day per inmate, but the actual housing cost is somewhere between $116 and $127/day.

Metro is not seeking money damages in this filing. The suit is asking a judge to force the state to pick up the inmates that they are required to house.