Former sheriff asks why 201 Poplar seems to be going backward
“We were able to remedy the problem,” said former Shelby County Sheriff and former county mayor Mark Luttrell. “Why did the remedy not stay in place?”
There are 81 article(s) tagged Shelby County Jail:
“We were able to remedy the problem,” said former Shelby County Sheriff and former county mayor Mark Luttrell. “Why did the remedy not stay in place?”
A December 2023 deposition provides testimony from assistant chief jailer George Askew about the state of the Shelby County jail and how it’s run. Former sheriff asks why 201 Poplar seems to be going backwardRelated story:
A state House subcommittee has rejected a bill for this session that would have given Shelby County residents an opportunity to vote for a sales tax increase to fund a new jail.
Ben Crump, Rev. Al Sharpton and families of inmates who died in Shelby County Jail attend the funeral of Ramon McGhee, who was at least the 48th inmate to die at the jail since Jan. 1, 2019.
The newly released footage shows other altercations between inmates at the Shelby County Jail and corrections officers. Related stories: Jail cell photos, autopsy show ‘intolerable treatment,' lawyer says
After federal court clerks told The Daily Memphian it needed to file a formal motion for the footage, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press did so, requesting the video on behalf of the local news site in January.
Some local leaders, including Shelby County Commissioner Amber Mills and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, approve of funding the project through a sales-tax increase. But others say it would disproportionately impact impoverished citizens.
A Nashville facility has cut recidivism among the mentally ill from 90% to 20%. Shelby County leaders are hoping to build a similar mental health center here.
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.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said an independent, preliminary autopsy described a Shelby County Jail inmate’s manner of death as a homicide.
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.
Ramon McGhee was found unresponsive in his cell on Jan. 10, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating McGhee’s death.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 judge has been indicted for coercion of a witness and harassment, according to court records.
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.
Stephen Robinson, who was charged with killing Marcus Donald, 38, in November 2022, also pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in another killing.
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.
Bonner’s request follows previous ones from Shelby County Chief Jailer Kirk Fields and Shelby County government to do the same.
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.
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.
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. New Youth Justice and Education Center to provide a ‘different path’Related story: