Audit: State prisons mishandled sexual abuse claims, must improve oversight on many fronts

Eight state prison inmates killed by drug overdoses, homicides and suicide were logged as natural deaths by the Tennessee Department of Correction, according to a highly critical audit that identified more than a dozen policy breeches at the agency.

The audit, overseen by the state comptroller, also found Tennessee prisons have improperly investigated allegations of sexual abuse and have failed to meet required staffing levels.