Tennessee Corrections Accountability Database
Prisonism Research Institute · State Corrections Accountability Database
Tennessee Department of Correction
A public, evidence-based examination of deaths in custody, safety, staffing, health care, humane treatment, rehabilitation, oversight, and transparency within Tennessee's correctional system.
Pilot research in progress — no final grade issuedKnown public death entries
Official descriptions are preserved exactly in meaning. “Apparent natural causes” is treated as a preliminary agency description, not a completed explanation of preventability.
| Name | Age | Date | Facility | Official public description | EPO status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Quintero | 59 | March 22, 2021 | Riverbend Maximum Security Institution | Apparent natural causes; exact cause pending at announcement | Documentation incomplete | TDOC |
| Steven L. Hugueley | 53 | July 16, 2021 | Riverbend Maximum Security Institution | Apparent natural causes; exact cause pending at announcement | Documentation incomplete | TDOC |
| James Dellinger | 71 | January 16, 2023 | Riverbend Maximum Security Institution | Apparent natural causes; exact cause pending at announcement | Documentation incomplete | TDOC |
| Oscar Franklin Smith | — | May 22, 2025 | Riverbend Maximum Security Institution | State execution by lethal injection | Officially documented | TDOC |
| Byron Lewis Black | — | August 5, 2025 | Riverbend Maximum Security Institution | State execution by lethal injection | Officially documented | TDOC |
| Harold Wayne Nichols | — | December 11, 2025 | Riverbend Maximum Security Institution | State execution by lethal injection | Officially documented | TDOC |
The register will expand after reconciliation with TDOC records, medical-examiner records, death certificates, investigations, court filings, audits, and credible independent reporting.
Mortality transparency tracker
| Required information | Current public status | Consequence if unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Complete person-level death list | Not located publicly | Mortality and transparency deduction |
| Name, age, date, and assigned facility | Available for selected announcements, not as a complete register | Partial-to-full deduction |
| Final cause and manner of every death | Not located publicly | Major mortality-accountability deduction |
| Autopsy and toxicology status | Not located publicly | Questionable-death flag |
| Deaths by institution and manner | Aggregate table published for FY2025 | Verify against person-level records |
| Deaths in private prisons | Included in aggregate institutional reporting; person-level detail incomplete | Contractor-oversight review |
Pilot scorecard
Overall grade: Not yet issued. Scores remain open until the first evidence collection and agency-response period are complete.
Bars represent research completion—not performance scores.
Opening source registry
| Source | What it contributes | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|
| TDOC annual reports and statistical abstracts | Population, facilities, security incidents, staffing, programs, and aggregate mortality information | Official agency source |
| TDOC prison list | Fourteen facilities and public/private operating status | Official agency source |
| TDOC policies | Health care, incidents, grievances, segregation, records, visitation, and operations | Official agency source |
| TDOC records instructions | Public-record request procedure and contact | Official agency source |
| Death certificates, autopsies, toxicology, investigations | Final cause, manner, circumstances, and possible preventability | To be requested |
How EPO evaluates a death
Official classification
The cause or manner stated by TDOC, a medical examiner, death certificate, or other government record. EPO preserves the source and date of every classification.
EPO accountability classification
A separate assessment of whether the death is adequately documented, potentially preventable, institutionally connected, questionable, undetermined, or insufficiently disclosed.
Natural does not mean unpreventable
A natural manner of death may still involve delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment, medication interruption, understaffing, unsafe conditions, or failed emergency response. EPO therefore examines circumstances and care—not the label alone.
Missing information counts
Unavailable evidence is identified precisely. Incomplete disclosure reduces the points attached to the affected measure; affirmative withholding or materially misleading reporting can trigger an additional transparency or integrity penalty.
Database status: Pilot version 1.0 · Initial review period 2021–2025 · 2026 tracked separately · Last methodological update: August 2026. Corrections and documented additions may be submitted to Jamestrust@endprisonism.com.