New Tennessee Prison Opens
After a little more than three years of construction, the new 65-acre Morgan County Correctional Complex is now housing inmates. The prison replaces the historic Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex built in 1896. This report from WBIR.
This new state prison is so large that officials are calling it four prisons for the price of one, and that price tag is steep. The facility cost $158 million to build. “This is a very exciting day for the state of Tennessee. It’s a great day for the Department of Correction,” said Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner George Little. The prison held an opening day ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon to mark the official start to a new era in Morgan County correction …
The complex has more than 2400 beds separated into 4 pods — maximum, medium, and minimum security, as well as a medical pod. Though its new beds, toilets, walls, and even basketball courts put the facility at the top of the list of Tennessee prisons, it’s what the complex is doing for non-prisoners that makes it more special to the community. “This is really a bright spot in terms of employment. The net increase is on the order of 250 to 300 jobs,” Commissioner Little said.