40 deaths in 5 years: Drugs, suicide lead fatalities at 201 Poplar
Activists gathered outside of the the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center to protest the death of Gershun Freeman, who died while in custody after a physical altercation with officers. Since the beginning of 2019, 40 inmates have died while at 201 Poplar. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
Shelby County’s 201 Poplar is a jail, not a prison. It’s meant for short-term stays and pretrial detention, but there are some detainees who never get out.
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Ben Wheeler
Ben Wheeler is an investigative reporter and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. He previously worked at the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan and Herald-Citizen.
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