TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Jul 27, 2021

Tony Parker, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), today announced that he is retiring, the Tennessean reports. Parker began his career with the state 38 years ago as a prison guard in West Tennessee. A native of Union City, Parker was originally appointed to lead TDOC in 2016 by former Gov. Bill Haslam and was reappointed in 2019 by Gov. Bill Lee. The state comptroller last year found that TDOC leadership failed to ensure data on inmate deaths, assaults, medical treatment and day-to-day operations was accurate. Another audit also found that prison officials misclassified the deaths of eight inmates and improperly investigated allegations of sexual abuse. Parker advocated for prison employee pay raises and earlier this year supported legislation making it a felony for inmates to possess a cellphone inside a prison.