South Central Correctional Facility

A medium-security men's prison in Clifton, in Middle Tennessee, operated by CoreCivic under contract with the state. CoreCivic refers to it as the South Central Correctional Center.

Overview

South Central Correctional Facility, on Forrest Avenue in Clifton, is a medium-security prison for men in Middle Tennessee, near the Tennessee River. It holds about 1,676 men. It is operated by CoreCivic, a private company, under contract with TDOC, which has managed the facility since 1992. CoreCivic refers to it as the South Central Correctional Center. It holds TDOC-sentenced men and follows TDOC’s statewide visiting, mail, and communication rules, so the statewide rules card applies the same as at a state-run prison.

What Makes South Central Different

• It is operated by CoreCivic, a private company, under contract with TDOC, rather than run directly by the state.
• CoreCivic has managed it since 1992, and the company refers to it as the South Central Correctional Center.
• It follows TDOC’s statewide rules for visiting, mail, and communication, the same as a state-run prison.
• It is in Clifton, in Wayne County, in Middle Tennessee near the Tennessee River.

Visiting

The statewide TDOC rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at South Central. The facility’s own arrangements:

The full approval process is in Visiting in Tennessee.

Getting There and Parking

The prison is on Forrest Avenue in Clifton, in Wayne County in Middle Tennessee.

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

Nearby Services

Clifton and Waynesboro have limited gas and food. The nearest 24-hour emergency room is Wayne Medical Center, in Waynesboro, about 18 miles away.

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