Eight inmates at the Northwest Correctional Complex at Tiptonville were involved in an uprising on Friday afternoon.
Officials of the state prison at Tiptonville said it involved rival gangs.
Officials said, "Officers acted immediately, with appropriate resources and contained the incident. No staff members were injured, but eight offenders directly involved in the incident were transported to area hospitals.
"The safety and security of our facilities is a top priority. As with any incident, our team communicated with other facilities across the state and took additional preventative measures. The investigation into the incident has revealed the incident resulted from a conflict between two rival gangs in a local community spilling over into the prisons. Inmates with alliances to illegal gangs make up nearly one third of our inmate population. While our inmate population has grown more violent, our staff continues to implement processes that enhance security. The quick response and containment of the incident at Northwest demonstrates our processes are effective in being prepared to transition from normal operations to enhanced security protocols. The Tennessee Department of Correction will not tolerate any threat to our prisons and any disruption will be met with swift corrective measures."
At this time, Northwest Correctional Complex remains on lockdown. West Tennessee State Penitentiary is also locked down as a precautionary measure and all other facilities are continuing to be evaluated for potential threats.
Warden Mike Parris said he "has ensured the situation is under control and he would like to commend the staff at Northwest for their dedication, hard work and ability to perform our core mission of operating safe and secure prisons."