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HB1144 • 2026

Correction, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8; Title 12; Title 40 and Title 41, relative to private prisons.

Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Boyd, Pody
Last action
2025-05-15
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 460
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on what happens if a private prison fails to comply with the reduction requirement or how this will affect overall inmate numbers.

Private Prison Death Rate Reduction Act

This law requires private prison operators to reduce their inmate population by 10% if the death rate among inmates is more than double that of comparable state-run prisons.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires private prison operators to lower the number of inmates in a facility if the death rate among inmates is more than double that of comparable state-operated prisons.
  • Sets a deadline for reducing inmate population within 90 days after identifying high death rates.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Private prison operators who have contracts with Tennessee or counties in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

Death rate
The number of deaths per a certain period, usually one year, among inmates in a prison.
Equivalent state-operated facility
A prison run directly by the Tennessee government that is similar to the private prison in terms of inmate population and conditions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if a private prison fails to reduce its inmate population as required.
  • It's unclear how this will affect the overall number of inmates in Tennessee prisons.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB1144

Plain English: The amendment requires private prisons with twice the inmate death rate of state-run facilities to reduce their population by ten percent until conditions improve.

  • Private prisons and county-operated facilities under contract must reduce their inmate population by 10% if the death rate is double that of a similar state facility.
  • The population reduction continues until the Department determines that the issues causing high death rates have been addressed.
  • The amendment does not specify how 'equivalent' facilities are determined or what conditions must be corrected to stop the population reduction.
Amendment 2-0 to HB1144

Plain English: The amendment requires private prisons with twice the inmate death rate of state-run facilities to reduce their population by ten percent until conditions improve.

  • Private prisons and county-operated facilities under contract must reduce their inmate population by 10% if the death rate is double that of a similar state facility.
  • The reduction in inmate numbers continues until the Department determines that the issues causing high death rates have been addressed.
  • It's unclear how 'equivalent state-operated facilities' are defined and measured for comparison purposes.
Amendment 3-0 to HB1144

Plain English: The amendment requires private prisons with twice the inmate death rate of state-run facilities to reduce their population by ten percent within ninety days until conditions improve.

  • Private prisons and county-operated facilities under contract must reduce their inmate population by ten percent if their reported death rate is double that of a similar state facility.
  • The population reduction continues until the Department determines that the issues causing the high death rates have been addressed.
  • The amendment does not specify what conditions are considered 'corrected' or how the Department will determine this.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1115

Plain English: The amendment requires private prisons with twice the inmate death rate of state-run facilities to reduce their population by ten percent until conditions improve.

  • Private prisons and county-operated facilities under contract must reduce their inmate population by 10% if the death rate is double that of similar state-run facilities.
  • The population reduction continues until the Department determines that the issues causing high death rates have been addressed.
  • The amendment does not specify how 'equivalent state-operated facility' is defined or measured, which could affect its implementation.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 460

  2. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/09/2025

  3. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 460

  4. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 3 - HA0503)

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/22/2025

  13. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 93, Nays 0, PNV 0

  14. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 3 - HA0503)

  15. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 2 - HA0212)

  16. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0211)

  17. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  18. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  19. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  20. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  21. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  23. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  24. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  25. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  26. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  28. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  29. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0229)

  30. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  31. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/7/2025

  33. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  34. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  35. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  36. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  37. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  38. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  39. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  40. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  41. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  42. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/26/2025

  43. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/25/2025

  44. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/19/2025

  45. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  46. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 3/11/2025

  47. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  48. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  49. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  50. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  51. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  52. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  53. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  54. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE SENATE
ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1115, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, provide that in a facility operated pursuant to a contract to provide correctional services, or in a facility operated pursuant to a contract with a
county to hold state inmates and that county has entered into a contract with a contractor to provide correctional services, if the death rate of inmates at the facility is twice the death rate of an equivalent state-operated facility, then the departmen
t
must reduce the population at such facility by 10%. The reduction in population must continue until the department determines that the conditions leading to the reduction have been corrected.

ON APRIL 21, 2025, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1115 FO
R HOUSE BILL 1144, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #3, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1115, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #3 incorporates the provisions of Senate Amendment #1 with the following additions:

(1) The department of correction's annual statistical abstract will be used
to report the death rate of inmates for purposes of this bill; and

(2) An initial 10% reduction in population required by this bill must occur within 90 days of issuance of a report under (1).

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1115
By Pody

HOUSE BILL 1144
By Boyd

HB1144
003304
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8;
Title 12; Title 40 and Title 41, relative to private
prisons.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 41-24-109, is amended by
designating the existing language as subsection (a) and adding the following as a new
subsection (b):
(b) The reports required by subsection (a) must be posted on the department of
correction website.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.