Trousdale Turner gets new warden

Private prison operator CoreCivic announced Vince Vantell has been named the new warden of Tennessee’s largest private prison, Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, as the facility is one of several private prisons the company manages throughout the country.

Vantell previously served as the assistant warden at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center and warden at Hardeman County Correctional Facility before being named as Trousdale Turner’s new warden last month.

Vanrtell’s predecessor, Martin Frink, was named warden in May of 2021, but he left to take a new position within the company.

“Vince Vantell was named warden at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility, after serving as warden at the Hardeman County Correctional Facility,” said CoreCivic Public Affairs Manager Brian Todd. “Warden Vantell replaces Warden Martin Frink.

“Frink has taken a new opportunity at CoreCivic’s facility support center. CoreCivic values our operational leaders such as Warden Frink, and, to that end, periodically provides them with new opportunities that enable us to leverage their existing expertise while further broadening their experience.”

Before accepting the position at Trousdale Turner, Vantell, who holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, served various capacities within CoreCivic since 1997.

“Warden Vantell began his corrections career at CoreCivic’s Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, where he served in multiple roles with increasing responsibility, including correctional officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief of security, and chief of security,” said Todd. “He then transferred to La Palma Correctional Center as chief of unit management, followed by a transfer to Lake Erie Correctional Institution as chief of security. He was promoted to deputy warden at Lake Erie in 2012. He then started as unit management administrator at Northeast Ohio in 2017 before his promotion to assistant warden at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in 2019.”

As this is not his first round of service with the Trousdale Turner team, Vantell indicated he is glad to be back.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to rejoin the dedicated team at Trousdale Turner, which strives every day to deliver the very best services to those in our care,” said Vantell. “It is especially gratifying, as a leader, I have the special privilege of being a part of a facility that is deeply passionate about providing meaningful reentry programs, such as GED (general education diploma), vocational, career computer coding, therapeutic, behavioral support, and addiction treatment, to support residents as they route a successful journey back home to their communities.”

With his new appointment, Vantell becomes the third warden in less than three years, and the sixth warden since Trousdale Turner Correctional Center opened in 2016.