Opinion: There is no ‘model jail’ for Memphis
“By failing to address the underlying problems that put so many people to jail in the first place, Shelby County will be doomed to revisit these problems again and again.”
Topic: Shelby County Jail
RSSThere are 134 article(s) tagged Shelby County Jail:
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September 2025
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Opinion: A jail at Shelby Farms Park would be a destructive mistake
“A high-security jail inside Shelby Farms Park would destroy the very qualities that make it so valuable. ... There are more appropriate sites for a jail. But there is only one Shelby Farms Park.”
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Inmate charged after stabbing cellmate at Shelby County Jail
This is at least the second stabbing at the jail this year.
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Memphis doesn’t need a new jail, new study says. At least, not right now.
A new study says the problems at the Shelby County Jail are less about the building and more about facility management.
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August 2025
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Man paralyzed after being stabbed 17 times at 201 Poplar
The victim told The Daily Memphian how the alleged assault began.
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Causes of death confirmed for two more Shelby County jail inmates
The deaths are two of at least seven housed at the overcrowded jail to die this year.
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201 Poplar inmate cause of death revealed
Darian Nolen, 33, died at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis the night of Feb. 6.
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Latest inmate death is at least seventh at Shelby County Jail in 2025
A 33-year-old inmate died Monday at the Shelby County Jail, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
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July 2025
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Where do wrongful death lawsuits against the jail stand?
Multiple lawsuits have been filed in recent years over inmate deaths at the Shelby County Jail. Here is where some of them stand.
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‘Everyone’s problem:’ 201 Poplar intake takes 3 days in ‘disgusting’ conditions
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reports in its June 2025 Jail Report Card that booking and processing took an average of 72 hours last month, a 67% increase from the 43 hours it took in May.
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June 2025
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Study highlights 201 Poplar conditions, suggests new locations
A new study shows potential locations for a new Shelby County Jail and highlights the deteriorating conditions of the current facility at 201 Poplar Avenue.
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County Commission to take final vote on affordable-housing construction
There will be a final vote on a new program to activate affordable housing on land currently going into the County Land Bank.
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May 2025
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Inmate dies at 201 Poplar
He is the fifth inmate at the Shelby County Jail, also known as 201 Poplar, to die this year. He is at least the 62nd since 2019.
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County Commission moves into budget season
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris has proposed a property tax rate for the new fiscal year that starts July 1 but the commission may leave the ordinance setting the new tax rate blank for now.
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Jail inmate died from fentanyl overdose, autopsy says
Justin Segerson, 41, was found unresponsive at the jail Jan. 30 and was taken to Methodist University Hospital where he died the next day.
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April 2025
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Inmate deaths at Shelby County Jail outnumber other Tennessee counties
The jail is more packed than it has been in at least five years, and amid the crowding, more inmates are being placed on suicide watch, according to Shelby County Sheriff’s Office data.
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If sales tax hike is dead, how will Shelby County pay for a new jail?
Options for funding the project, widely agreed upon by state legislators as necessary despite disputes about priorities and timing, are becoming increasingly limited.
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Inmate dead after being found unresponsive at Shelby County Jail
Courtney Berry is the fifth inmate to die this year.
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March 2025
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Inmate died from heart disease, autopsy says
Lawrence Sumlin, 60, died in the jail’s intake area in the early hours of Nov. 22, 2024.
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Opinion: Building a new jail won’t make us safer
Foster: “By prioritizing community investment, Shelby County can address the root causes of crime rather than perpetuating a cycle of incarceration.”
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Trial pushed for jail deputies charged in inmate death
The trial for two of the corrections deputies charged in the 2022 death of Gershun Freeman at the Shelby County Jail has been delayed seven months.
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Guest column: Fix the problems plaguing Shelby County Jail now
“We need to do something now to protect both inmates and employees.”
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Autopsy confirms inmate’s cause of death
Sherman Weakley, 22, died by suicide, according to his official autopsy.
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February 2025
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Mother of inmate who died at 201 Poplar files lawsuit
The inmate, Ramon McGhee, 42, died in the hospital Jan. 12, 2024, two days after being found in his cell at 201 Poplar unresponsive and covered in bedbugs.
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After 4 recent deaths at 201, Sheriff’s Office takes media inside jail
”We try to keep predator and prey separated,” a chief deputy said during a recent media tour inside the jail.
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