County needs to consider new, $500 million jail, sheriff says
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. knows the area has a lot of needs, but he says 201 Poplar is showing its age — and Shelby County should start thinking about a new jail.
Topic: Shelby County Jail
RSSThere are 98 article(s) tagged Shelby County Jail:
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February 2024
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Mother of inmate who died went months unable to contact son
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said an independent, preliminary autopsy described a Shelby County Jail inmate’s manner of death as a homicide.
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Sheriff’s Office is investigating itself after inmate’s death in January
The investigation comes after the Jan. 12 death of Ramon McGhee; his family stated through attorney Ben Crump that McGhee was covered in a “massive amount” of lice and bed bugs when he arrived at the hospital.
McGhee’s passing followed the 10 others who died in either of SCSO’s jails in 2023.
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January 2024
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Crump retained by family of 201 Poplar inmate who died this month
Ramon McGhee was found unresponsive in his cell on Jan. 10, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating McGhee’s death.
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Review board for sheriff’s office moves ahead
The first Shelby County Commission meeting of the year saw a first step toward a review board to hear misconduct allegations against the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
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A state law has kept an intellectually disabled man in jail for almost a decade
Johntavius Griggs has been in custody at the Shelby County Jail for more than eight years on a first-degree murder charge in limbo with no clear path forward.
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Retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice to mediate Freeman civil suit
The first woman to lead the state’s highest court will oversee negotiations between lawyers for Nicole Freeman and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., Chief Jailer Kirk Fields and Shelby County government.
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December 2023
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County Commission approves jail mental health funding but with doubts
Shelby County commissioners also funded 21 new “youth development specialist” positions at Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court, and a rugby field for Memphis Inner City Rugby.
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Trial date set in Gershun Freeman civil case
The federal suit against Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., chief jailer Kirk Fields and Shelby County government about the death of Gershun Freeman is scheduled for trial March 24, 2025.
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Embattled Criminal Court judge Melissa Boyd indicted
The Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 judge has been indicted for coercion of a witness and harassment, according to court records.
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Officers indicted in Freeman’s death allegedly beat other inmate days before
Corey Lurry, an inmate at Shelby County Jail, was allegedly beaten by corrections deputies in late September 2022, including three who were indicted for their alleged roles in the death of Gershun Freeman.
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November 2023
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Man accused of killing cellmate in jail pleads guilty
Stephen Robinson, who was charged with killing Marcus Donald, 38, in November 2022, also pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in another killing.
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Second inmate death lawsuit filed against Bonner, chief jailer and county
The lawsuit filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee alleges the Shelby County jail is understaffed, poorly supervised and holds inmates longer than necessary.
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Sheriff Bonner asks to be dismissed from Gershun Freeman civil suit
Bonner’s request follows previous ones from Shelby County Chief Jailer Kirk Fields and Shelby County government to do the same.
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County also wants out of Freeman civil suit
Shortly after the chief jailer filed to be dismissed from the $100 million lawsuit filed by the widow of Gershun Freeman who died last year at 201 Poplar, Shelby County also moved to be dismissed as a defendant.
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Chief jailer seeks to dismiss himself from Gershun Freeman civil suit
One of the defendants in the civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of an inmate who died last year at the Shelby County Jail has filed to dismiss himself from the suit.
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Bonner beefs up security in jail, courts after fatal stabbing
The enhanced security comes after an Oct. 26 stabbing that led to the death of Deion Byrd while he was in a holding area behind a criminal courtroom.
Related story:
New Youth Justice and Education Center to provide a ‘different path’
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October 2023
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Sheriff’s Office investigating ‘internal failures’ that led to fatal court stabbing
According to a certified forensic litigation expert on jail issues, “there are all kinds of methods of hiding things on a person’s body and in a person’s clothing.”
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Fifteen more cases of excessive force at 201 Poplar, records reveal
The new instances uncovered in public records bring to 46 the number of substantiated instances of excessive force involving officers at 201 Poplar.
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Gershun Freeman’s family suing county for $100 million
The suit’s amended complaint also alleges that some of the officers allegedly involved and indicted for their role in Freeman’s death are still working there, even as an ongoing criminal case plays out against them.
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Jail detainee dies after stabbing in court
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the stabbing “of a jail inmate by another” at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar Ave.
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Jail inmate found dead at 201 Poplar, TBI investigating
A detainee at the Shelby County Jail was found dead Wednesday, Oct. 4, according to information provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
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201 Poplar program aims to reduce violence inside and outside the jail
On the same day as an apparent suicide at the Shelby County Jail, the sheriff’s office talked about a program that would use peer-guided healing ciricles within the facility and the need for mental health facilities.
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September 2023
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County looks to re-sign with Wellpath as jail health care provider
After 41 deaths at 201 Poplar, since the start of 2019, Shelby County government is in the process of renewing its contract with Wellpath, the largest health care provider for jails and prisons in the country.
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August 2023
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Inmate dies at 201 Poplar, the fourth death there this year
A 70-year-old jail inmate died Aug. 22 while in custody at the jail. His body was sent out for an autopsy, TBI said.
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