Minimum to maximum security (men) — statewide medical and mental-health center · State Prison · TDOC

Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility

Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (615) 350-2700 Info last verified: June 2026

Tennessee's statewide medical and mental-health center for men, in Nashville — providing infirmary and inpatient care, pharmacy services, dialysis, and a secure medical and mental-health unit for people transferred from across the system.

Statewide rules that apply at every Tennessee state prison

These rules are set by TDOC and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Tennessee.

Dress code

No spandex or transparent or translucent clothing; no sleeveless shirts or tops that expose the chest, midriff, or back; and no camouflage clothing or bandanas.
No flip-flops, shower shoes, or steel-toed shoes, and no excessive jewelry — dress in plain, modest clothing, since a visitor who arrives dressed out of code may be turned away.

ID: Every visitor, regardless of age, must have an approved visitor application on file before visiting — there is no walk-on visiting, and applications take about 30 days to process. Adult visitors must show a government-issued photo ID.
What to bring: Bring only a photo ID and your car keys or key fob inside — phones, wallets, purses, and smart watches stay in the vehicle. Baby items (diapers and sealed formula or food) are allowed in a clear plastic bag. Money for the person is sent only through JPay or ViaPath, never handed over at a visit.
Scheduling: Each prison sets its own visiting days, hours, and limits, and visits are arranged with the specific facility — Tennessee has no statewide online visit scheduler — so confirm the schedule before traveling. A newly sentenced person is held at a reception center (Bledsoe County for men, the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center for women) until classification, then transfers to a permanent prison.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Tennessee

Overview

The Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility, on Cockrill Bend Boulevard in Nashville, is Tennessee’s statewide medical and mental-health center for men. It provides infirmary and inpatient care, pharmacy services, a dialysis clinic, and a secure medical and mental-health unit. People with significant medical or mental-health needs are transferred here from prisons across the state, and the facility also serves as a transfer and transit point. It opened in 1992 and holds about 854 men across minimum to maximum security. Because of its medical mission, the prison shown in the state locator can change as a person enters or completes care, and visiting arrangements can vary by a person’s care status.

What Makes DeBerry Different

It is Tennessee’s statewide medical and mental-health center for men, providing infirmary and inpatient care, pharmacy services, and a dialysis clinic.
It has a secure medical and mental-health unit for people transferred here from prisons across the state.
It serves as a transfer and transit point, so a person may be here only for the period of their care before returning or moving to another prison.
It is in the Cockrill Bend area of west Nashville, near the state’s other Nashville prisons.

Visiting

The statewide TDOC rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility. The facility’s own arrangements:

The full approval process is in Visiting in Tennessee.

Getting There and Parking

The prison is on Cockrill Bend Boulevard in west Nashville.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. Visitor parking is on site.

Nearby Services

Nashville has the full range of gas, food, and lodging. The nearest 24-hour emergency rooms are Nashville General Hospital and TriStar Skyline Medical Center, both within the Nashville metro.

Mail

Personal mail does not go to the prison. Since November 2025, Tennessee routes incoming letters, cards, and photos to an off-site digital-mail center, where they are scanned and delivered to the person’s tablet; address them to [facility name], [person’s name], TDOC ID# [number], P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131, with “TDOC ID#” immediately before the number. Mail sent directly to the prison is returned. Legal mail still goes directly to the institution. Full rules are in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Tennessee state prison:

Visiting in Tennessee — the approved list, dress code, and how visits are scheduled
Mail & Packages — the off-site digital-mail center and what still goes to the prison
Phone & Video Calls — ViaPath calls, tablets, and facility video visits
Sending Money — depositing through JPay or ViaPath
Medical & Mental Health — sick call, the co-pay, and grievances
Transfers & Finding Someone — reception, classification, and the locator

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.