Inmate Benjamin Hibbert Died in Union County Jail in Tennessee
In Tennessee news from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, an inmate in Union County Jail died on Saturday. The deceased, Benjamin Hibbert, was a former deputy with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Hibbert’s death came two days after the custodial death of Justin Davis, who was also incarcerated in the Union County Jail.
Benjamin Hibbert was an inmate in the Union County Jail, and he died at the age of 52 on September 6, 2025. No further details have been provided. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is investigating Mr. Hibbert’s death.
The address of Union County Jail is 130 Veteran’s Street, Maynardville, Tennessee, 37807.
Union County Jail Fails Seemingly Every Inspection Since at Least August 2022
As two deaths have occurred at Tennessee’s Union County Jail within three days, news has resurfaced about the jail’s record of failing multiple 2022 jail inspections, as well as two jail inspections in both 2023 and 2024. It seems that a 2025 jail inspection hasn’t been conducted so far this year.
Jail inspections can reveal many problems that affect the safety and security of inmates under the care of jail staff. Among the areas of non-compliance at Union County Jail was the supervision of inmates. Here at the Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., we have learned that many custodial deaths have been associated with areas of noncompliance. A lack of proper inmate supervision is perhaps the area most often allegedly connected to inmates’ deaths.
A 37-Year-Old Man Dies by Suicide in Llano County Jail
Llano County Jail, for instance, conducted a special jail inspection after the tragic suicide of a 37-year-old inmate. The man died by hanging himself in his single-occupancy housing. He was pronounced deceased in his cell. It was discovered during the jail inspection that jailers completed the observation rounds but without viewing the inmate face-to-face as required by minimum jail standards.
Supervision is recognized as the best deterrent to suicide. If required suicide training does nothing else, it should inform jail staff of the realities of jail suicide. For instance, about half of all people who commit suicide in a U.S. jail showed no apparent signs beforehand, nor had they made suicidal statements, according to one study. The overall conclusion is that all inmates are at risk for suicide in the jail environment for a multiplicity of reasons, from shame about being jailed and potentially exposed as a criminal in their community to the shock of the total loss of control and freedom in jail.
The address of Llano County Jail is 752 Andy Taylor Dr, Llano, Texas 78643
Oklahoma County Jail is Again Found Noncompliant
State jail inspectors in Oklahoma found hundreds of violations among the county jails in 2022. More recently, a June 2025 inspection revealed violations at the Oklahoma County Jail allegedly related to safety and protocol issues, one of which included alarming gaps in the supervision of inmates on suicide watch. Jail staff are required to observe inmates under suicide watch face-to-face every 15 minutes.
During the inspection, it was discovered that gaps between observations of inmates on suicide watch ranged from 16 minutes to several hours. More than 160 safety checks were missing from observation records, including those pertaining to the supervision of high-risk detainees.
The address of the Oklahoma County Jail, more commonly known as the Oklahoma County Detention Center, is 201 N Shartel Ave, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102.
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