Sheriff: TCI finds no deficiencies at Carter County Detention Center
Published 5:38 pm Monday, July 23, 2018
The Carter County Detention Center passed its annual inspection as officials from the Tennessee Corrections Institute found no deficiencies at the facility on Thursday.
The Carter County Sheriff’s Office operates the detention center as part of the constitutional duties of the County Sheriff. Under state law, TCI is tasked with setting minimum standards for correction facilities in the state of Tennessee and completing annual inspections to ensure standards are being maintained.
TCI inspectors were on site for two days and found the facility met all standards, according to Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford. The inspection last week came after an initial inspection during which TCI officials noted issues they wanted resolved, Lunceford said.
Lunceford said he never doubted the jail would pass inspection.
“It’s common to have an initial inspection and a secondary inspection from the TCI,” Lunceford said. “Our jail has passed every year.”
According to Lunceford, the jail is among the most progressive in the region.
“We are fortunate to have one of the few jails in our area that is not overpopulated,” Lunceford said. “We’ve installed an x-ray machine that has greatly reduced contraband in the jail.”
“We are also implementing wireless security measures and a mobile log system to save time and increase accuracy in our record-keeping,” he added.