Shelby County officials report repairs, staffing and mental‑health protocols after four jail deaths

At a Feb. 27, 2005 Shelby County Public Safety ad hoc committee meeting, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office leaders reported on a recent string of in‑custody deaths, the status of facility repairs and daily steps staff are taking to identify and treat detainees with medical and mental‑health needs.

During opening remarks, Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said the jail experienced “four deaths in the jail in one week,” calling the week “very, very challenging” for staff and for the families of those who died. He said the office reviews every in‑custody death to determine whether different actions could have prevented it.

The sheriff’s office described several near‑ and longer‑term repair projects. Buckner said the county approved “a little more than $6,000,000” to replace about 686 cell doors, switching from sliding to hinged doors; the first pod has been completed and inmates will be moved back to 201 Poplar as pods are finished. Matthew Robinson, general manager for facility maintenance, told the committee seven of 10 escalators have been cleaned down and a contractor quote of $1,260,000 has been sent to purchasing to repair all 10 with a one‑year warranty and maintenance contract. Robinson said elevator modernization quotes are pending and that plumbing fixtures and epoxy in some toilets are at end of life.

Buckner and Robinson also described ongoing efforts to identify and repair leaks and other infrastructure problems they said create secondary issues such as standing water and pests. The sheriff’s office said it has worked with Memphis Light, Gas and Water to monitor power spikes and is installing battery backups and surge protectors in housing units to reduce electronics damage after what staff described as numerous voltage fluctuations.

On staffing and population, Buckner said the office graduated 29 new correctional officers but remains “down hundreds of staff members.” Chief Kirk Fields, who manages jail operations, said the main medical floor is staffed at a level intended for the more vulnerable detainee population; he said not all detainees with mental‑health needs are housed in a single area because those individuals are spread throughout the facility. Fields reported a facility capacity of 2,800.

The committee heard details about medical and mental‑health intake. Stan Wolford, director of operations for Wellpath (the jail’s contracted medical and behavioral‑health provider), outlined intake screening: detainees who appear injured or impaired are sent to Regional One for evaluation; others are screened by Wellpath staff in the intake area with a medical and behavioral‑health history taken and chronic conditions entered into the electronic medical record. Wolford said staff try to verify outpatient medication orders with pharmacies and restart “critical medications” when possible. He added that Wellpath maintains an in‑house mental‑health clinician in intake and that a nurse or clinician can place a detainee on suicide watch; only a mental‑health professional may remove someone from that watch.

Wolford and Buckner emphasized limits on forced treatment. Buckner said, “the Shelby County Jail cannot force anyone to take their medicine,” noting that detainees who refuse medication may later be transported to a hospital for treatment.

Officials described other operational measures to reduce contraband and violence: frequent shakedowns, deployment of metal detectors and an x‑ray scanner referred to in committee comments as “tech 81” for new admissions, and use of deputies from special operations to assist correctional staff with searches. Buckner said many of the improvised weapons recovered were made from parts of the building—chunks of concrete or pieces of bunks—rather than firearms smuggled in. The office also said it works with the district attorney’s office to pursue additional charges when contraband is discovered.

The committee asked about an outside CTAS study of the jail funded earlier by the commission. Buckner said he and the sheriff met with CTAS representatives and had a “preliminary conversation” about facility size and data points; he said he expected the study to be completed in the “next few weeks” but that CTAS had not given a firm delivery date. The sheriff’s office also said it has advocated with state authorities to move state inmates to state facilities in order to free county beds.

The sheriff’s office described daily case management practices used to track high‑risk detainees and noted a position called an expediter—created in 2019 and currently staffed—who coordinates with defense attorneys and the judiciary to pursue release alternatives or faster disposition for vulnerable inmates.

Committee members asked for continued updates. Buckner and staff said tactical steps (shakedowns, redeploying deputies, door replacements) are being implemented now while strategic planning for a new facility continues. No formal action or vote was taken at the meeting; officials said they will return with additional updates and data at a future meeting.

The committee set a follow‑up meeting for March to continue oversight of jail conditions and progress on repairs.