A Chattanooga man on death row has declined to choose how he’ll die. Harold Wayne Nichols, convicted in the 1988 rape and murder of 21-year-old Chattanooga State student Karen Pulley, did not select between the electric chair and lethal injection for his December 11 execution. That means Tennessee will default to lethal injection. The Department …
Tag: Tennessee Department of Corrections
Apply For TDOC’s Citizens’ Correctional Academy
The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) has begun accepting applications for the fall 2024 Citizens’ Correctional Academy. The six-week program is designed to give Tennesseans an in-depth look at the state’s largest law enforcement agency. Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from September 12, 2024, through October 17, 2024, at various TDOC locations around …
Tennessee Prisons Understaffed Plus Other Problems
Tennessee prisons are severely understaffed, with a vacancy rate at one prison of 61%, leading to unsafe conditions for both inmates and guards, a state audit of the prison system found. The audit by the state comptroller’s office also found a shortage of such prisoner services as therapy, substance abuse treatment, education, and re-entry assistance. …
Tennessee Population Now at 25,000 Inmates
Tennessee’s prison population is growing faster than the majority of states, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Justice. The report found that from the end of 2021-2022, Tennessee saw a nearly 8% increase in incarcerated people, with 1,740 more individuals in state prisons. The only states with a higher percent increase …


