TROUSDALE COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating conditions at CoreCivic’s Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, citing allegations of sexual and physical abuse, murder, and staffing shortages.
Families of inmates have raised concerns — including Jacqueline Mayberry, whose brother, 57-year-old Johnny McClain — is serving time at the facility. Mayberry said McClain was stabbed multiple times last month, including once in the eye. He has since been released from medical care.
“They had put him in a cell with a gang lord, which was a gang lord that supposedly stabbed him,” Mayberry said.
Mayberry spoke with her brother on Thursday, and his words left her worried for his safety.
“He told me he probably wasn’t going to be alive today,” she said. “A lot of guys had surrounded him by the phone and stuff. He said, ‘Know that I know the Lord and know that I love you, and I would never go to PC. I’m a soldier.’”
PC is short for protective custody, Mayberry explained. She said she was left waiting for a call from her brother.
“The fact that I’m powerless and can’t do anything about it at that moment — I was praying,” she said.
On Friday morning, Mayberry received a message from the prison.
“They called me and said he signed himself up in PC,” she said. “I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, honestly. But I’m going to accept he’s alive. I do know he didn’t sign himself into PC.”
Concerns about conditions at the prison are not limited to Mayberry. Families across the region are speaking out, and despite the DOJ investigation, reports of issues continue.
“You don’t have enough staff. That’s dangerous to them and dangerous to the inmate. If you don’t have that, why are you trying to keep it open? It’s all about the Benjamins. All about the money," Mayberry said.
As the investigation continues, Mayberry said she’s turning to her faith.
“I don’t have confidence in man, period, honestly. I trust the Lord,” she said. “I pray that the DOJ is going to do their job.”
CoreCivic responded to questions about McClain's situation, saying they are aware of his concerns and are working with the family to address them.
Earlier this week, civil rights activists announced plans to protest outside the facility in the future.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
Forrest Sanders recently introduced us to a Nashville hero named Eudora Boxley. She was the first black woman to have a cooking show on TV in Nashville. Her grandson was precious describing Eudora and how she raised him and how proud he and the family were of her impact not only on WLAC but on a city during the turbulent Civil Rights Era. A woman who did extraordinary things at a time when history did not expect her to.
-Amy Watson
