Warren County Jail is entering a new era with direct supervision of inmates and the state is stepping in to help that effort.

Direct supervision is something Warren County Jail has not been offering. 

The Warren County Commission recently approved a request from Sheriff Tommy Myers to hire 16 new correctional officers to begin providing direct supervision in an effort to reduce the amount of damage done by inmates not being supervised.

Tennessee Corrections Institute’s Detention Facilities manager Bob Bass addressed members of the county’s Corrections Partnership Committee on Wednesday. He says the jail’s current employees need help understanding what direct supervision actually means and provided time to adjust to what will be a new era from the way things used to be done.

“Right now you have a linear jail intermediate supervision jail where you come by and look at the inmates for maybe 10 or 15 seconds and you move on,” said Bass. “Forty-five minutes later, you come back. Direct supervision means the officer is going to be inside the pod with them. We’ll establish a workstation for them. The cell doors will be open all day. They’ll have access to the day room. They’ll be locked down at night.”

At this time, inmates are locked down inside their cells most of the day and the majority of their supervision comes from deputies watching them through barriers. Time outside cells is limited, usually two to four hours a day. 

Bass says deputies may be apprehensive when those barriers are removed.

“I really wanted to get any apprehension from the officers dealt with now. If you can imagine one day you are on this side of the bars working with an inmate and tomorrow morning you are in there with them. That would create a little apprehension.”

The TCI manager met with the jail’s upper command and supervisor staff, sharing with them a video to help them better understand what direct supervision actually means, and began inspecting the jail for what will be needed.

“It’s a better type of management,” said Bass. “You have a cleaner jail. You have less incidents. You’re able to initiate programs much better. Direct supervision is really the way to go.” 

In addition to enhancing inmate and staff safety, jails that offer direct supervision are said to foster a more positive, rehabilitative environment for inmates and not an “us against them” mentality when officers are separated from them and inmates become tense whenever officers enter “their” territory. Inmates are aware they are being constantly supervised.

“Direct supervision starts in the booking room and goes all the way back to the housing unit,” said Bass. “It’s going to make your jail run better and give you a chance to put those programs in place and really affect one-on-one basic needs of the inmate and that’s what you weren’t doing before.”

Bass expressed his approval of Warren County commissioners approving funding for 16 new correctional officers to begin ushering in this new era. 

The new hires will be phased in: four hired in July, two in August, two in September, two in October, two in November, and four in December. Warren County Jail administrator Jackie Rackley said two have been hired and two more interviewed.