Sheriff Says Jail Isn't The Place For Mentally Ill Inmate Who Attacked Guards

NASHVILLE, TN — An inmate in a Davidson County Jail attacked four guards earlier this week, but they aren't pursuing charges and the sheriff says it highlights a deeper problem.

The inmate has a mental illness and Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall says he shouldn't be in jail in the first place and should instead be receiving treatment. The guards the inmate attacked said they understand that, too, which is why they won't press charges.

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Around 10 p.m. Monday, two guards were escorting medical personnel to the man's cell when, according to Hall, he "just explodes," breaking one guard's nose despite being in handcuffs.

Ultimately, it took five guards to restrain the man who, according to one of the guards, didn't "understand any commands that were being given to him." In addition to the guard with the broken nose, another two were bitten and a third broke his ankle during the ordeal, Hall told WKRN.

"We do not need to house people in a criminal justice system because they are mentally ill,” the sheriff told the station. “He’s lost in the system called criminal justice when truthfully he’s ill. You would never lose a person with cancer to the jail or lose a person with a heartache to jail, but society puts people who are mentally ill in a jail setting.”

A new jail is under construction downtown and the facility will include a 64-bed behavioral health center. It is scheduled to be complete in 18 months.

Image via Davidson County Sheriff's Office