The head of Knoxville’s Richard L. Bean detention center will retire after ‘loss of confidence’ in his leadership

Richard L. Bean, the longtime superintendent of the East Tennessee juvenile detention center that bears his name, abruptly announced he is stepping down. His decision to retire comes the day after the Knox County mayor said issues at the facility caused him to lose confidence in the superintendent, and years after a WPLN and ProPublica investigation exposed Bean’s unlawful use of solitary confinement.

Bean could not be immediately reached for comment.

Increased scrutiny on the detention center began earlier in the week when Bean dismissed two employees, one of whom was the facility’s only nurse. The nurse’s termination was first reported by Knox News, and the mayor described it as “retaliation” because she had reported significant issues with medical care for the children at the facility