Just City

Just City We believe a smaller, fairer, more humane criminal justice system is possible for Memphis and Tennessee. Learn more 👉 https://www.justcity.org

Just City is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We work to transform local criminal justice policy and practice to ensure it is fair for all people regardless of wealth, race, or ethnicity. For more information, visit www.justcity.org.

Tommy Young was in pre-trial detention at 201 Poplar on a misdemeanor charge for simple assault. He was accused of throw...
08/21/2026

Tommy Young was in pre-trial detention at 201 Poplar on a misdemeanor charge for simple assault. He was accused of throwing f***s at a correctional officer in 2017 and a warrant was issued, but he wasn’t arrested until January of 2020.

After 15 days in jail, Tommy was found unresponsive in his cell. He appeared to have taken his own life. He had a diagnosis of schizophrenia. His bail was only $100, which he was unable to pay.

This is not only a symptom of a mental health crisis, it’s a consequence of a poorly run facility wrought with horrific conditions and negligence.

When we say “detain fewer people”, we are talking about people like Tommy. People who are denied their freedom for as little as $100 and who would still be alive today.

People, who are presumed innocent, are paying with their lives.

Make them known. Make it stop.

08/19/2026

As Shelby County considers its next jail healthcare provider, we’re demanding the following:

-Divert mental health crises away from jail.
-Pick the next provider based on quality, not cost.
-Give families a voice in the selection.
-Detain fewer people.

Everyone deserves adequate healthcare. Pre-existing conditions or not. Our community needs to be a part of the process and we deserve leaders who will take accountability for what goes on inside these facilities. The Shelby County Jail is one of the deadliest jails in the country. Since 2018, 68 people have died while incarcerated there.

Their deaths are the most visible consequence of careless government decision-making.

Help us continue the fight. Make them known. Make it stop.

08/18/2026

Last week, our Communications and Advocacy Manager Laramie Wheeler appeared on Action News 5 to talk about Wellpath’s decision to exit all four Shelby County detention facilities — including the downtown jail at 201 Poplar. Wellpath has provided healthcare in these facilities for the past thirteen years.

As our new Mayor and Sheriff prepare to take office next month, we’re asking one thing: accountability.

Both have oversight of our jails — and the Sheriff is directly responsible for what happens inside 201 Poplar.

This fight for better healthcare in our jails isn’t over. If you’re able, consider supporting our work and helping us fight the fight— link in bio.

68 people have died in the Shelby County Jail since 2018, including two women who died at Jail East. Together, they spen...
08/17/2026

68 people have died in the Shelby County Jail since 2018, including two women who died at Jail East. Together, they spent over 12,517 days in cages — roughly 34 combined years of human life. 34 Christmases. 34 birthdays. 34 Mother’s Days. 34 Father’s Days. All spent waiting for a day in court that, for far too many, never came.

Nearly all were awaiting trial and presumed innocent. About 65% were Black. Nearly half were in their 20s and 30s. And nearly a third lived with a mental health condition.

They mattered. They deserved better.

Visit the memorial. Share their stories. Help us tell the truth.

Make them known.

08/14/2026

On Wednesday, our Communications and Advocacy Manager Laramie Wheeler joined Joe Birch on Action News 5 for a live interview about jail healthcare provider Wellpath’s exit from Shelby County. The conversation covered Wellpath’s troubled history, how the transition will affect people currently incarcerated, and what we hope to see from the incoming Sheriff and Mayor.

Wellpath’s departure is a win — but it can’t be the end of the story. There’s still no clear plan for a new provider, and that uncertainty falls hardest on people who are already receiving dangerously inadequate healthcare in the jail. Wellpath is leaving all four Shelby County facilities: the Shelby County Jail, Shelby County Corrections Center, Jail East Women’s Facility, and the Youth Justice and Education Center.

As Shelby County considers its next jail healthcare provider, we’re demanding the following:

1. Divert mental health crises away from jail.
2. Pick the next provider based on quality, not cost.
3. Give families a voice in the selection.
4. Detain fewer people.

Everyone deserves adequate healthcare. Pre-existing conditions or not. Our community needs to be a part of the process and we deserve leaders who will take accountability for what goes on inside these facilities. 68 people have died in our downtown jail since 2018.

End jail deaths. Hire a healthcare provider who can keep people alive.

08/13/2026

🎙️ Our Executive Director Josh Spickler sat down with Judge David Pool, who presides over Criminal Court Division VI, to talk about what meaningful rehabilitation looks like in our justice system.

Judge Pool’s take: it starts with getting people the right support — support like forensic social workers assessing what an individual actually needs, defense and prosecution reviewing it together, and finding the best fit for rehabilitative services when someone doesn’t need incarceration. Seeing the process through to the end.

Because the alternative is a revolving door of relapse and re-arrest that is detrimental not only to the person experiencing harm, but the community as a whole.

When we get people connected to the right programs instead of cycling them through the system, everyone is safer.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to hear more — including the book program Judge Pool runs in his courtroom. Link in bio.

We're hiring! Join our team as a Director of Development and help make Memphis's criminal legal system smaller, fairer, ...
08/12/2026

We're hiring! Join our team as a Director of Development and help make Memphis's criminal legal system smaller, fairer, and more humane. Link in bio with job description and application instructions.

08/11/2026

Booking people into the jail for non-violent offenses doesn’t make the community safer. It destabilizes it more.

This person, presumed innocent by the law, was booked into the jail. His freedom was priced at $250, when what he was accused of stealing couldn’t have been more than $45.

This is how we end up with an overcrowded jail, where 68 people have died since January 2018.

Are we safe yet?

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1000 S Cooper St
Memphis, TN
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