The Permanent Record

Author: Just City

The Permanent Record is a new podcast from Just City. It features conversations about the criminal justice system and how we can work together to make it smaller, fairer, and better for everyone.
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Language: en-us

Genres: Government, Society & Culture

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Episode 67: Former Shelby County Sheriff/Mayor Mark Luttrell
Monday, 4 August, 2025

Mark Luttrell was the Sheriff of Shelby County, Tennessee for eight years beginning in 2002. He was then elected Shelby County Mayor for two terms. When he became Sheriff more than 20 years ago, Luttrell inherited a very unstable and chaotic situation at the Shelby County Jail. Violence, poor management, and overcrowding were the norm.Under Sheriff Luttrell's leadership, the jail went from a deadly scourge on our community to a model facility. His staff and the jail made headlines because of the turnaround. The Shelby County Jail is back in the headlines in 2025 but for very different reasons.So, we invited Mayor Luttrell on the podcast to discuss that jail turnaround, whether the same approach could work again today, and a few other odds and ends. Even in retirement, he is a very active public servant with a lot of experience and advice we'd do well to follow.