After 4 recent deaths at 201, Sheriff’s Office takes media inside jail
Capt. Alisa Styles leads media on a tour of the Shelby County Jail on Tuesday, Feb. 11. (Courtesy Shelby County Sheriff's Office)
Stains, rust and a thick coating of dust cover the cells in an empty pod on the fourth floor of the Shelby County Jail in Downtown Memphis.
The small, six-by-nine cells are bare: a bunk bed, a toilet, a sink and a small mirror. The metal bed frames have missing chunks, an indicator that, at some point, knives were carved out of them. “Free Shred,” “Free Tiny O Dogg” and “Long Live Baby Myles” are scribbled in big letters on one wall of the pod, messages left behind by the former residents.
That fourth-floor pod, which houses multiple cells, is currently vacant. The former residents were temporarily relocated in December while the cell doors are replaced.
Four inmates have died at the jail, also known as 201 Poplar, in recent weeks: one suspected overdose, one suspected suicide and two others by unknown causes. Amid those deaths, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office took a group, including a reporter from The Daily Memphian, on a Tuesday, Feb. 11, tour of the deteriorating facility.
The tour included a look at many — but not all — portions of the six-story jail including intake, where inmates are booked and processed; several of the jail’s floors; and the jail’s annex, another area where inmates are housed.
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Aarron Fleming
Aarron Fleming covers Memphis and Shelby County’s court system and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. He formerly covered education and earned his B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis.
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