Tennessee prison chief vows review of inmate death after 'shocking' legislative testimony

Tennessee's top prison official promised state lawmakers Monday he would review the circumstances of the death of an inmate in 2013 after a committee heard testimony deemed "shocking" by one lawmaker. 

The vow came Monday afternoon amid a hearing intended to discuss the future of private prison oversight. During the hearing, a nurse who previously worked at a state prison accused prison officials of covering up a homicide. 

"Based on what I've heard here today and solely from the testimony that was heard here, obviously I would be concerned and have questions. I plan on going back and reviewing the investigation ..." Department of Correction Commissioner Tony Parker said. 

More: Mystery still surrounds death of Inmate No. 81738

More:Lawmakers delay Tennessee prison authorization

The allegations date back to the 2013 death of an inmate at a state-run prison, but were referenced in the context of more need for general oversight of all Tennessee prisons. 

The House Operations Committee appeared to hear the concerns of former inmates, officers, their families and advocates. The committee voted to amend oversight legislation, proposing the department be authorized for two years, not four years.

The bill also includes a built-in state audit set to commence later this year.  

In approving the bill, the committee's decision continues legislative debate over the actions of prison leadership in Tennessee. 

'If you value your jobs, you'll shut your mouths'

Legislators delayed taking action on the bill last week after hearing from private prison officials and advocates who want additional oversight.

Before voting Monday, they heard from people with loved ones in prison or former correctional employees. 

That included Jessica Jobes, a former nurse who worked at West Tennessee State Penitentiary. Her voice shaking, she described in vivid detail what she called the state covering up the death of an inmate in 2013. 

"I want you to know that every bit of it happened and I was there to witness it that day," Jobes told lawmakers. 

A Tennessean investigation in 2015 found documentation showing a medical examiner deemed the death of 55-year-old Elbert Thornton as “suspicious, unusual or unnatural." An autopsy determined at the time of his death, Thornton had broken ribs, a broken collar bone and significant additional trauma including third-degree burns on his genitals. 

Jobes said prison officials told employees to downplay what happened.

"If you value your jobs, you'll shut your mouths," Jobes said, recounting what she said a prison investigator told her while looking in to Thornton's death. 

At the time, department spokeswoman Neysa Taylor hinted medical issues may have played a role in Thornton's death and downplayed the results of the autopsy. 

“If I had blunt force trauma, you would assume I was beat up. But I could have fallen out of bed,” Taylor said. 

Jobes said she spoke with the FBI about her case, and is not sure if the investigation is open. Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican who led the discussion on authorizing the department, cut short lawmaker's questions of Jobe because he said he didn't want to jeopardize a federal investigation.

Lawmakers pressed Parker and other department officials about the allegations. Parker promised to review the substance of the investigation, adding he personally has not been contacted by the FBI. 

Parker said he would ask the applicable corrections employees if they ever spoke with the FBI about this case. 

House Government Operations Committee Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, said he was unfamiliar with Thornton's case until reading a copy of the Tennessean investigation during Monday's hearing. 

"I believe that Commissioner Parker will open up an investigation on that. And if that man's death was not justified through natural causes, the people who hurried his death will be punished to the full extent of the law," Faison said after the hearing. 

Thornton's daughter, Telesa Anderson, initially filed legal action in 2013. Her case is still pending before the Tennessee Claims Commission. Anderson's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

More: Lawmaker calls for investigation into inmate death

More:Tennessee lawmakers authorize prison department for 1 year amid ongoing criticism

Scathing audit prompted initial legislative ire 

The debate on authorizing the department heated up in December, after the state comptroller found gangs and insufficient staffing plagued the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. During the same hearing, a former correctional officer at the facility said she witnessed two inmates die due to medical negligence. 

Private prison operator CoreCivic and the department said they investigated the statements from the former officer and found them unsubstantiated. They declined to immediately provide details of their investigation, but CoreCivic said the former officer refused to cooperate with their investigation. 

The largest private prison in the state, Trousdale remains tormented by issues that have remained consistent since it opened in early 2016.

By May 2016, the state forced Trousdale to temporarily stop accepting new inmates due to "serious issues" ranging from inadequate staffing and solitary confinement problems to allegations of excessive force.

Last week, Trousdale Warden Rusty Washburn acknowledged the state has fined his prison more than $2 million this year, in relation to problems with inmate access to health care and other issued raised in the 2017 audit.

On Monday, Taylor confirmed the state fined Trousdale $2.2 million in March, in addition to $322,000 in fines from late 2017. 

The Senate already approved a measure authorizing the department for four years. Both chambers must approve the same legislation in order for it to become law. 

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-25-8992, dboucher@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.