2 corrections officers held hostage in Tenn. prison riot

One CO was stripped of clothing and multiple officers were hospitalized after Trousdale Turner Correctional Center inmates took over a control room and freed others into the yard

June 09, 2025 06:51 PM

By Theresa Braine
New York Daily News

HARTSVILLE, Tenn. — At least two guards were held hostage at Tennessee’s largest prison when inmates rioted late Sunday, authorities said.

The hostages were released after the riot was contained at around 1 a.m. on Monday, officials said. Several guards were taken to the hospital, including one whose clothes were stripped off during the riot at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville, sheriff’s officials told WKRN-TV.

CoreCivic, the company that operates the private facility, said the riot began when several inmates refused to return to their cells. They locked two guards in the building, took over a control room, and released 100 prisoners into the yard, Trousdale County Sheriff Ray Russell told reporters at a news conference. Some set fires in trash cans and damaged security cameras. CoreCivic said three inmates were treated for minor injuries.

About 100 law enforcement officials from surrounding counties and the Tennessee Highway Patrol responded, the Trousdale County Sheriff’s Department said. About 75 state troopers, including negotiators and special operations unit personnel, secured the perimeter, and the Tennessee Correction Department was also on the scene. It was over by about 1 a.m. on Monday after officers used tear gas to force prisoners back inside. All inmates were accounted for after a head count Monday morning, authorities said.

Trousdale Turner Correctional Center “leadership worked closely with [the Correction Department ] throughout the incident. Chemical agents were deployed in accordance with department protocol,” CoreCivic said in a statement obtained by WKRN. “The facility is on lockdown until further notice while we investigate this incident in conjunction with our [ Correction Department ] partners.”

The incident occurred a day after two inmates allegedly assaulted an officer at the prison, WSMV-TV reported.

How can a single corrections officer overcome multiple attackers? The video below discusses 12 recommendations COs can take in the event of an attack.

Last August, the U.S. Justice Department launched a civil investigation into alleged conditions at the prison, which The Tennessean newspaper reports is chronically understaffed and plagued by violence. Legislation to penalize the company for excessive deaths at its facilities passed the state legislature in April and was signed by Gov. Bill Lee last month.

CoreCivic, which operates four of the state’s 14 prisons, “is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate treatment to all those in our care,” the private company’s website says.

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