500 days in jail: Shelby County routinely keeps people locked up, without trial, for more than a year
On any given day, the Shelby County Justice Center at 201 Poplar houses roughly 2,000 people. (The Daily Memphian file)
Despite the U.S. Constitution’s sixth amendment guaranteeing a right to a speedy trial, Shelby County’s legal system can leave defendants in limbo for years. And it comes at a cost of millions and millions of dollars.
Topics
201 Poplar Subscriber Only crime Just City Shelby County District AttorneyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
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.
Shera Avi-Yonah
Shera Avi-Yonah is an enterprise freelance intern for The Daily Memphian. She has previously reported for Bloomberg News and the American Prospect.
Public Safety on demand
Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.