NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A father is fighting for change in Tennessee’s prison system after his son died of an overdose at a CoreCivic-operated facility.
Tim Leeper’s son, Kylan, died in 2023 inside Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. His face now appears on a large electronic billboard along Interstate 65 in South Nashville. The message reads, “Private prisons in Tennessee have 2-4 times the national mortality rate.”
“My son was one of those kids that died in that prison,” Leeper said.
The billboard, with images of inmates who also died at CoreCivic facilities, is sponsored by Kylan’s Light, a nonprofit Leeper founded in his son’s memory.
“The state of Tennessee should divest out of privatization,” Leeper said. “Is it hard? Yeah. Is it going to create some thinking outside of the box that we haven’t done for a while with prisons? Sure it is, but it’s necessary. All I’m asking is to treat them like human beings.”
Since his son’s death, Leeper has been pushing for prison reform as a way to find closure. His advocacy has centered on what he calls systemic problems inside CoreCivic facilities — from drug use and violence to inadequate medical care.
“The more I dug the worse it got and after a while you get demoralized, but you have to keep going because the information I’m finding, although it can’t save my son, maybe it can save somebody else’s son,” Leeper said.
He said many inmates are “being warehoused” rather than rehabilitated, especially those struggling with addiction and mental health issues.
“Contrary to popular belief, not everybody in prison is in there for a violent offense,” Leeper said.
Leeper said he wants more Tennesseans to take notice and push lawmakers for change.
“Right now it’s not your family member but it could be,” he said.
CoreCivic responded in a statement, saying it is “committed to providing a safe, secure and humane environment for every individual entrusted to our care. We deeply value our decades-long partnership with TDOC and appreciate the significant oversight and accountability they provide. Our goal is to not only meet but exceed the expectations set by our government partners, while delivering comprehensive and compassionate care to every person in our facilities,” said Steven Owen, vice president of communications.
This story was reported on-air by Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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