Handle With Care

A look at Nashville's facility designed to support arrestees with mental illness.

From Megan Podsiedlik

On Tuesday, the Metro Audit Committee reviewed Nashville’s Behavioral Care Center. The BCC is run by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and is designed to provide qualified inmates with mental health services. 

“This is my baby,” said Daron Hall. “We’ve worked really hard to decriminalize mental illness.”

Hall’s vision came to fruition in 2020, when instead of pouring concrete for a new jail, he decided to use the funds to build a facility to rehabilitate those whose arrest for criminal behavior was directly linked to a mental health crisis. 

“It's not jail,” explained Hall. “If your loved one is picked up and taken there, I don't want you to feel shook down when you come in.”

What BCC does The facility can house up to 60 eligible arrestees, but entry into the program requires approval from the district attorney, the public defender, and BCC staff, along with the individual’s agreement to participate.

When someone is taken into the care center, they typically stay for about 20 days before release. Though arrested, their record is cleared. 

“In this city, an average person who goes to jail goes back 75 percent of the time,” said Hall. “If that person has a mental health history, it's 90.”

When asked whether people are allowed to go through the program more than once, Hall explained that the BCC’s return rate is 20 percent compared to 90 percent if they go to jail.

“It's not failure if they come back 10 times a year,” he said. “They probably came 20 times a year before the treatment.”

Audit findings One of the main issues flagged during the audit process was the lack of clearly defined criteria outlining who qualifies to benefit from the center. Hall explained that restricting discretion could become a roadblock when trying to help those who truly need it. Currently, the facility generally runs at about half capacity, with 25-35 occupants at a time.

“We wanted to decriminalize a person whose mental health acuity was treatable,” he said, highlighting the outsized pressure to simply fill up all the available beds. “There are people coming off the streets that aren't treatable in this environment. Very serious, dangerous, homicidal, suicidal. That's not what it was for.”

Belmont shooting You may recall 2023’s tragic shooting that took the life of Belmont freshman Jillian Ludwig. Given that Ludwig’s shooter had been released after being deemed too incompetent to stand trial, serious questions were raised about how to address criminal behavior carried out by those with mental health issues.

Sheriff Hall addressed the reason that the man who shot and killed Ludwig did not participate in the BCC program: “If you're incompetent, you can't say yes to go.”

Sheriff Daron Hall is up for reelection this year and faces no opponents. 

What Horrors We Wrought In 1973, French writer Jean Raspail published one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century. His novel, The Camp of Saints, has been consistently censored throughout its history.

Vauban Books recently published a new translation of the French story, accompanied by a lucid introduction by writer Nathan Pinkoski. Join us as we discuss the legacy of this controversial novel and what it says about the West.

This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer, Nashville, and priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.

BLURBS

🎒 Much Ado About Nothing… The National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union which represents public school teachers and administrators, released a new report on state spending on public education.

Outlets across the state have made a big todo about the state’s per-pupil spending ranking last, and used the opportunity to frame the ranking against the state GOP’s claim of historic investment in Tennessee public schools. 

State Senator Jeff Yarbro has been apoplectic about the report, taking to Twitter saying, “Tennessee is investing less in education per student than any other state in the US. Literally ranked 51st out of 51.”

The obvious question that follows from all of this: well, how are the schools performing? As it turns out, among states in the South, Tennessee tops the list in terms of performance according to the commonly cited National Center for Education Statistics’ NAEP report card. Nationally, they sit in the middle of the pack. DAVIS HUNT

✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH

New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)

HEADLINES

• ☎️ Senator Blackburn calls for special session to redraw Tennessee congressional districts. Blackburn is calling on state lawmakers to draw new congressional lines that would wholly favor Republicans. “I urge our state legislature to reconvene to redistrict another Republican seat in Memphis,” Blackburn posted on Wednesday. (The Hill)
• 🏕 Coalition Splits With O'Connell on Downtown Strategy. A coalition of churches, nonprofits, and former mayoral allies — including The Contributor, the NAACP Nashville Branch, and Open Table Nashville — sent a letter Saturday opposing $2.7M in proposed funding for MNPD downtown "rapid response" and a Civicity private security contract, accusing the mayor of prioritizing "optics, not outcomes" ahead of budget hearings. (Scene)
• 🚁 Metro Nashville Police opens new aviation facility at John C. Tune Airport. The new facility is a major upgrade from the former cramped quarters: nearly 22,000 square feet in size, including 10,000 square feet of hangar space and an additional 12,000 square feet of office space. The facility houses two helicopters, a flight simulator, and a weight room, among other spaces.(WSMV)
• 🪙 Bitcoin Conference Returns to Music City. BTC Inc. has confirmed that Bitcoin 2027 will be held at Music City Center on July 15–17, bringing the world's largest Bitcoin gathering back to Nashville after two consecutive years at The Venetian in Las Vegas. (BTC Media)
• 🚛 Nashville food truck owner speaks out after generator stolen for the second time. Greg Knotek, who moved to Nashville in 2021, brought with him a taste of Chicago and a heart full of ambition. That passion was tested over the weekend when the generator for his food truck was stolen sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. Saturday. “It’s the second time,” he said. “The first time it happened was last year — on the day of my prostate cancer surgery.” (NewsChannel 5)

DEVELOPMENT

• Mother's Ruin to open second location in 12South, by year-end, at old White's Mercantile site (NBJ)
• Maiz de la Vida opened Fonda Fina, a 12-seat restaurant, on April 29 in 12South (NBJ)
• 12 South Taproom next Nashville neighborhood staple to close (Tennessean)
• Pinewood Social owner seemingly plans Vita for Charlotte Avenue structure last home to Smokin Thighs (Post)
• Sylvan Park Boarding House sets opening date for May 12 (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Cass McCombs @ The Blue Room, 7p, $31.76, Info

🪕 Shelton & Williams @ Station Inn, 9p, Info

🎸 Nick Brown @ The Eighth Room, 6:45p, Info

🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

🎸 Open Mic @ Fox & Locke, 6:30p, Free, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.