Correction, Dept. of

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not mention specific deadlines for submitting findings or recommendations, but the bill text specifies a report by February 1 of each year.

Study on Reentry Facilities for Inmates

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Correction to study and report on the feasibility and benefits of building reentry facilities for inmates nearing release.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the department of correction to conduct a study about creating reentry facilities for eligible inmates who are working toward return from incarceration into the community.
• The study must include criteria for selecting inmates, current training program availability, timing for inmate eligibility, and housing arrangements that allow work during the day and return to the facility in the evenings.
• Includes an assessment of resources needed, costs involved, and potential partnerships with community organizations and law enforcement.
• Requires other state agencies to help the department with the study.
• The department must submit a report with findings and recommendations by January 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

• Tennessee Department of Correction
• Inmates nearing release from prison
• State government agencies

Terms To Know

Reentry facility

A special type of housing for inmates who are preparing to leave prison and return to the community.

Commissioner

The head official in charge of a government department, like the Department of Correction.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify how much money will be spent on the study.
• Does not decide if or when reentry facilities will actually be built after the report is submitted.
• The bill does not provide details about which state agencies must assist in the study.

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 31, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 4644, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the following revisions to present law:



Requires t
he department of correction
to
study the issues associated with constructing and operating a reentry facility that would house eligible inmates who are working toward return from incarceration into the community.



Requires the study to
include
all of the following:



A list of criteria to be used to determine the inmates best suited for being housed in the reentry facility, including educational and rehabilitative criteria
.



The percentage of inmates who qualify for work, educational, or vocational training programs currently and who are not able to participate in such programs due to unavailability of positions or other prohibitive factors
.



The most beneficial time in which an eligible inmate would qualify to be housed at a reentry facility that is no earlier than two years prior to the inmate's release eligibility date
.



An evaluation of the issues associated with housing inmates in an environment that serves as a residential reentry facility, allowing eligible inmates to work during the day and return to the facility in the evenings
.



An assessment of the resources needed to successfully operate a reentry facility, including, but not limited to, community and law enforcement partnerships
.



A survey of other similar facilities in other states that may be in operation and the outcomes and issues associated with operating those facilities
.



An implementation strategy for constructing and operating a reentry facility in this state
.



The costs associated with constructing and operating a reentry facility, including an evaluation of both a state-funded and a public-private partnership option, and recommended locations for a reentry facility
.



A list and evaluation of any other needs associated with constructing and operating a reentry facility, including, but not limited to, information sharing, intelligence exchange, community engagement, and transitional social services.



Requires a
ll appropriate agencies of state government
to
provide assistance to the department for purposes of conducting the study
.



Requires the
department
to
compile a report of the department's findings and recommendations, which may include potential legislation. The report must be submitted to the speaker of the house of representatives and the speaker of the senate no later than January 1, 2026.



Requires

t
he department
to
pay any costs associated with the study from the department's existing resources, which may include the department's reserve fund.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1090
By Sexton

SENATE BILL 1201
By Jackson

SB1201
002844
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 40 and Title 41, relative to corrections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-6-106, is amended by adding the
following language to the end of the section:
The commissioner must file the report by February 1 of each year.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.