Rutherford County Rejected 2004 Study Showing Too Many Children Jailed - Articles

All Content

Rutherford County Rejected 2004 Study Showing Too Many Children Jailed

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jun 27, 2022

A 2004 study of Rutherford County’s juvenile detention policies found that the county was incarcerating too many children for minor misdemeanor offenses, including truancy and school fights. It recommended that the county pursue alternatives, such as providing shelter beds in rooms without bars for runaways and others facing minor charges. The study, conducted by a consultant, had input from officials, including Judge Donna Scott Davenport, but its recommendations ultimately were ignored, the Tennessean reports. In fact, records show that county commissioners voted twice to reject its recommendations. Observers now say the county could have saved itself millions of dollars in payments to victims had it paid more attention to the study.