When the COVID pandemic shuttered nearly every aspect of American life last year, there was one sector that couldnât put everything on hold â the criminal justice system.
The Tennessee Supreme Court, over the course of a year, has issued numerous directives to local judges to create a plan that would allow courts to still operate on a limited basis while protecting the rights of people charged with crimes.
On Friday, the Supreme Court issued its least restrictive measure for courtrooms â but also kept judicial discretion in place.
The new guidelines:
⢠Lifts any courtroom capacity limits still in effect; and
Wayne Scott Strawberry Festival returns to Unicoi johnsoncitypress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from johnsoncitypress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
View Comments I was deputy sheriff in three Tennessee counties! Jesse James Bailey told UNC Asheville historian Louis Silveri in 1972, talking about his brief term as sheriff of Madison County, 1920-22, during Prohibition.
Sometimes, Bailey would get a good lead for instance, a fellow might get mad at his neighbor (and) say, Well, Ole John s a-stilling or a-handling liquor and when Bailey went to investigate, the moonshiner would jump the boundary to Unicoi, Greene or Cocke county. Tennessee violators would likewise hide out in Madison County. I inaugurated a new technique, Bailey related. He went to see the Tennessee sheriffs and said, Now, boys, I ll tell you what I ll do; I ll make you a deputy sheriff from Madison County. You turn around and make me a deputy sheriff of your county . (And then) by golly, we d come to the state line, and we d go right on over! . I had a lot of fun being sheriff, yeah!
I m seeing that a lot, said Pierce.
Individual attitudes regarding the COVID-19 vaccine are important but less important than the physical barriers to health care.
These trends point to an all-too familiar problem. East Tennessee’s unequal distribution of health care resources and infrastructure which already damage the health of Tennesseans here in innumerable ways hurt even more in a global pandemic.
Addressing these inequalities will require a multipronged approach in the short term and investment in the health of vulnerable communities in the long term, experts say.
Bringing down barriers
People in rural or vulnerable counties are at greater risk of living far from emergency care centers and overall have less access to primary care.