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Corrections Major
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Major Brenda Hensley
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Our mission in the Corrections Division is to provide a safe environment for our
inmates as well as for the employees. Our goal is to set an example by treating
everyone with dignity and respect, while still being firm, fair, and consistent.
The Corrections Division is comprised of 114 employees separated into two
divisions. The administrative division consists of food service, medical,
training, commissary, work release, day reporting, and all inmate programs.
The operations division consists of the officers working the four shifts in the
housing facilities and the transportation unit.
In 2006, the jail's capacity was 383, with an average daily population of 536.
In May 2007, we opened a new minimum-security facility with a capacity of 240.
This has helped to relieve the very real and very dangerous problem of
overcrowding in our correctional facility. The new jail extension facility is
equipped with a full-service kitchen, a laundry, a visitation area, a chapel, a
property room, and a medical suite. New inmate programs initiated in 2007
include GED classes, Drug and Alcohol classes, and parenting classes for the
female inmates.
Steps taken to improve employee morale include implementing a 12-hour work shift
and allowing correctional officers to ride along on patrol eight hours each month.
Correctional officers may elect to voluntarily obtain specified mandatory training
that is required by several specialized teams functioning within the Sheriff's
Office, and then apply to join these teams. These teams include the warrants
team, mounted patrol unit, dive team, and honor guard. Corrections Officers
also have the option of altering their career paths by applying to transfer to
the Patrol Division.
We offer a high quality of training geared specifically to the officer's level
of responsibility and duties to all of our officers and supervisors. Our
primary focus is to raise the professional level of each employee by providing
the proper training and tools need to achieve their individual goals.
Our corrections personnel serve with pride - pride in their agency, pride in
their division, pride in their unit, and pride in themselves.
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Sullivan County Sheriff,
P.O. Box 589
Blountville, TN 37617
(423)279-7500
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