Cocke County Jail In Jefferson County TCI Certified

Cocke County Sheriff CJ Ball announced on Friday that Cocke County once again has a jail that has been certified by the state. The jail though is not in Cocke County, it is the facility that the county is renting in Jefferson County. Sheriff Ball says that back in 2024 before the September flood, the Cocke County detention center had one of the best inspections from the Tennessee Corrections institute in a long time. However, due to overcrowding issues, the jail was denied certification.

The sheriff credits his administration and employees saying they have all worked very hard to get the jail being used in Jefferson County TCI certified. Ball called it a major accomplishment. the sheriff says court system representatives, court security officers, and transportation officers have worked to ensure that the jail stays at the standard of capacity that is required by the TCI. That includes working several court sessions, and transporting inmates to and from multiple locations. Sheriff Ball also thanked the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association and the Sheriffs of 94 counties that have reached out and supported the Cocke County Sheriff’s office in housing hundreds of inmates during this pat year. Ball thanked the Newport Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol and the TBI for their assistance since the flood last September, which made the Cocke County jail annex usable. Most of all the sheriff in his statement thanked Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Coffey and the Jefferson County government for allowing Cocke County to rent the facility that is now TCI certified. Sheriff Ball added that if the Jefferson County facility had not been an option, housing inmates would have been an even bigger problem this past year.