Jail overcrowding and a lack of programs are a recipe for disaster.

According to Bob Bass, detention facilities manager for Tennessee Corrections Institute, you have to look no further than the riot at Cheatham County Jail to understand the outcome associated with overcrowding, lack of programs, shortage of corrections officers, and continuing to do things the old way.

“There’s always something that prompts situations like those,” said Bass of the jail riot. “In this case, the inmates did something wrong so staff took away their TV. That prompted the riot.”

More than 50 inmates were involved in an “all-out brawl” that ended with several prisoners and corrections officers being hospitalized.

Cheatham County’s jail is designed to hold 116 inmates. On the morning of the fight, there were 192 inmates, which is 76 over capacity. Due to jail overcrowding, staff members were unable to properly screen and separate inmates to prevent such an interaction.  

Cheatham County Jail is also understaffed. Corrections officers attempted to stop the fight but were outnumbered. 

“What the situation in Cheatham County Jail will turn into is a training video," said Bass.

Bass invited Rutherford County Workhouse director William Copeland to be a guest speaker during Thursday night’s county meeting at Warren County Jail. 

“They are a shining light when it comes to programs,” said Bass of Rutherford County. “They have over 100 programs offered by a volunteer base that contains more than 400 volunteers. That’s why I invited him here to speak with you today.”

Idle hands are definitely the devil’s workshop, according to Copeland.

“The more you keep inmates busy within your jail, the less problems you have,” said Copeland. “If an inmate is going through programs, they will get it or act like they’re getting it. If they get it, they’ll do better while in jail and when released. If they act like they’re getting it, they at least act better while here.”

Estimates on Warren County’s recidivism rate – the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend once released from jail – varies, usually between 60 and 80 percent. The national average is 57 percent. 

“Our recidivism rate is at 32 percent,” said Copeland. “It took us a while to get there. This is a marathon and not a sprint. It won’t happen overnight. It’s also been over six years since we’ve had an assault on staff.” 

Most of the inmates at Warren County Jail are Warren County residents and they will, eventually, return to society. 

“There’s a misconception in the public about who these inmates are,” said Copeland. “These are people in your community. When they are released they are going to stay in this community -- sitting next to you in the theater and shopping next to you at store. Saturating inmates with programs reducing the likelihood that they will reoffend is a benefit to the community.”

Most jails overlook the importance of strengthening the family, according to Copeland.

“You have to strengthen family unity,” said Copeland. “If you don’t you are sending people back out onto the street without any support. In the United States, one in 28 children has a parent who is incarcerated. And about 80 percent of people who are incarcerated will raise a child to go through the system. If you want to change the cycle, you have to change their way of thinking.