ATHENS, Tenn. – The freshly painted arrow in the McMinn County Jail points to the cell door marked “Women.”
Outside the women’s cell, steel plates placed on the windows preserve privacy for the female inmates.
Inside, rows of bunk beds are lined up side by side, with metal tables centered in the room.
The alterations are part of what Sheriff Steve Frisbie calls a $5,000 Band-Aid to temporarily fix the overcrowded women’s area to meet state regulations.
In November, the Tennessee Corrections Institute pulled the jail’s certification when an inspection revealed 51 female inmates were staying in a 26-bed area.