Statement on the Tragic Conditions and Loss of Life at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center

Statement on the Tragic Conditions and Loss of Life at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center

The recent tragedy involving the young man from Hartsville — whose father and grandmother still reside in the area — underscores a dire and unacceptable reality in Tennessee’s prison system. On Thursday the 26th, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) hosted a panel to hear from the community. What we shared — and what we’ve witnessed — is deeply troubling.

The deaths of inmates and staff members alike at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center are more than statistics; they are human lives, families torn apart, and futures erased. It is terrifying that a parent can leave home for work in a prison facility and never return — just as it is horrific for families to receive calls days or even weeks after the death of a loved one behind bars.

The system has failed. It prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation, confinement over care, and profit over people. The justice system should exist to restore — not destroy. Not everyone in prison belongs there. And no one — not even the guilty — deserves to die from systemic neglect.

I knew Joshua, one of the lives lost. He was a kind-hearted soul, a cook and chef’s assistant at a downtown Nashville restaurant. His grandmother, married to my cousin, helped raise him. He did not deserve this fate. The conditions at Trousdale are inhumane — conditions so cruel you wouldn’t wish them on an animal, let alone a person.

The tragic loss of Mr. Leeper’s son must be a turning point. As citizens, we must stand behind Tim Leeper in his pursuit of justice for the lives lost. His courage and compassion remind us of the urgent need to overhaul a corrupt system.

To the leadership of this state: We are watching. We are grieving. And we are demanding change.

Thank you, Tim Leeper, for your tireless advocacy. Your voice speaks for those who no longer can.