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Harwell announces House will hear from Correction officials over prison staffing controversy

Lawrence Kemp, left, a correctional officer at the Middle Tennessee Correctional Complex in Nashville, Tenn., guards a gate as marathon runners pass by in the recreation yard on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2003. Runners from area running clubs joined inmates for several different runs in the prison yard during the "Jaunt in the Joint."
Lawrence Kemp, left, a correctional officer at the Middle Tennessee Correctional Complex in Nashville, Tenn., guards a gate as marathon runners pass by in the recreation yard on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2003. Runners from area running clubs joined inmates for several different runs in the prison yard during the "Jaunt in the Joint." Lawrence Kemp, left, a correctional officer at the Middle Tennessee Correctional Complex in Nashville, Tenn., guards a gate as marathon runners pass by in the recreation yard on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2003. Runners from area running clubs joined inmates for several different runs in the prison yard during the "Jaunt in the Joint."

By Andy Sher 1 min read

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Tennessee loses 322 prison guards amid new overtime pay rules

NASHVILLE — House Speaker Beth Harwell announced today the State and Local Government Committee next month will look into complaints over prison staffing.

The move comes amid controversies over new employee overtime policies at some state prisons that lawmakers and employees say have led to guard turnover and have left at least some facilities understaffed with correctional personnel pulling double shifts.

Several lawmakers have been pushing for the hearings.

State Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield maintains the situation isn’t what critics are making of it. But on Thursday, the commissioner ordered a slight change in the overtime policy his department began phasing in last August.