By next month, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office must respond to a state report that identified 13 operational deficiencies at its jail, including a primary finding that the 2004-era county lockup is overcrowded.
The Tennessee Corrections Institute’s inspection on Aug. 22 noted overcrowded conditions in four pods of the men’s portion of the jail and two pods of the women’s portion, causing the jail to be out of compliance with space requirements.
Sheriff Steve Lawson and his staff are working with the Tennessee Department of Correction and the local and state courts to find ways to reduce the population in the county’s jail and are addressing other findings, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Paul Allen said in an email.
The other findings were noted in security, the kitchen, laundry and in medical services record-keeping, according to the institute. The institute is required by state law to establish minimum standards for adult local jails, and the agency’s Board of Control sets standards to inspect and certify local correctional facilities.
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