The Shelby County Jail is an accredited facility with the American Corrections Association. The average daily census for the two facilities for men and women is approximately 2,000 inmates. Yearly bookings average 56,000.
Male inmates are housed in downtown Memphis at 201 Poplar Avenue. The women’s facility is in east Memphis at 6201 Haley Road.
Juvenile Court Detention Center is located at 616 Adams Avenue, which houses an average of 50 juveniles per day who are being held for violent crimes.
The Chief Jailer and his staff provide continuous oversight of operations and daily expenses. Monthly and weekly meetings with unit managers track bookings, processing times and inmate program involvement. Click HERE for the monthly Jail Report Card.
In accordance with the National Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA), the Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) has a zero-tolerance policy relating to sexual assault, rape and sexual misconduct. If your family member is an inmate in this facility and feels that he/she has been a victim of sexual misconduct, harassment, or assault, it must be reported to a staff member immediately. This can be done by the inmate or family member in several methods. Contact the Sexual Assault Hotline Number at 901-222-4781 for more information. Mental Health staff is also available for crisis care 365 days a year to listen and offer support for the inmates. Click to view policy 839 Inmate Sexual Assault (PREA). Click HERE to view PREA audit report.
JAIL UPDATES:
There are unfortunate statements being made about the Jail that are misleading to the public.
The Mayor’s Office and Health Department have spent millions of dollars to provide a mental health team that staffs the Jail 24/7 through its provider. There is a mental health director, full time and part-time psychiatrists, a mental health nurse practitioner, and a team of a team of mental health professionals. There are additional personnel on call.
The Mayor’s Administration has just issued a Request for Proposals for increased mental health services in the Jail.
The Jail has designated housing units within the jail to care for those with mental health issues, those who are detoxing, and those who are suicidal. Those units are staffed by special trained Jail personnel, including counselors who work daily with those with mental health issues. They provide including, but not limited to: Relaxation/music and art therapy, Life Skills/coping mechanisms, and Alcohol and Drug therapy. For patients on psychotropic medications but not housed in those units, they provide including, but not limited to: Anger Management therapy, Domestic Violence treatment, Job Skills/Readiness, Moral Reconation, and Strong Father/Stronger Families,
The Jail is accredited by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, as well as being certified by the Tennessee Correctional Institute.
The Jail is not overcrowded. It is not unclean. It does not have a practice of holding detainees in their rooms 23 hours a day.
The Sheriff’s Office is short-staffed, like every other law enforcement/correctional agency in the U.S. and the Sheriff’s Office is actively recruiting for more personnel. Likewise, the Jail is a very old structure and Sheriff Bonner welcomes every effort by Shelby County Government and the County Commission to build a new facility.