Lawmakers debated a scathing state audit of Tennessee's largest private prison Wednesday during a legislative hearing. (Mark Humphrey/File/AP)In a rare procedural rebuke, state lawmakers delayed reauthorizing the Tennessee Department of Correction amid concerns highlighted in a recently released audit of the state's largest, privately run prison.
Wednesday's move shows the frustration and concern of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the issues raised in the scathing audit concerning Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, operated by CoreCivic, previously known as Corrections Corporation of America.
"Sometimes when you're in the wrong, you have to take it like a jackass in a hail storm Department of Correction, you've failed in a lot of areas. It's egregious to the people of Tennessee, to the taxpayers and to the people that are there in the prisons," said Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, calling for "serious change" in the coming months.
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