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SB1820 • 2026

Correctional Programs

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 10 and Title 41, relative to body cameras.

Crime Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Hatcher, Atchley
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Body Camera Study for Correctional Officers

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Correction to study and report on the costs of equipping correctional officers and prison contractor employees with body cameras at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the department of correction to study the cost of giving body cameras to correctional officers and prison contractor employees who work at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility.
  • Specifies that the study must cover the costs for equipping these workers with body cameras.
  • Requires the department to report its findings to certain legislative committees by July 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Tennessee Department of Correction
  • Correctional officers and prison contractor employees at Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility

Terms To Know

Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility
A specific adult correctional facility in Tennessee.
Prison contractors
Companies that provide prison services to the state under contract.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what actions will be taken based on the study's findings.
  • It is unclear if similar studies will be conducted for other correctional facilities in Tennessee.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1718

Plain English: The amendment requires correctional officers at specific types of facilities to wear body cameras while on duty and mandates that footage be reviewed, stored, and transmitted under certain conditions.

  • Correctional officers must use body cameras during their shifts except for breaks when they may interact with inmates.
  • Prison contractors are responsible for providing the necessary body cameras and maintaining them.
  • The department of correction is required to review footage within 72 hours and transmit relevant recordings to district attorneys or other authorities as needed.
  • The amendment text was truncated, so some details about the full scope of the bill are missing.
Amendment 2-0 to HB1718

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for body cameras in correctional facilities and sets rules for their use by prison contractors and review by the department of corrections.

  • Requires each correctional officer to wear a body camera while on duty at specific types of correctional facilities, with the camera recording continuously during interactions or anticipated interactions with inmates.
  • Specifies that prison contractors must cover costs related to body cameras, including procurement and maintenance, and transmit footage for review by the department of corrections.
  • Establishes procedures for reviewing and storing body camera recordings, as well as transmitting relevant footage to district attorneys and prosecuting authorities within specified timeframes.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how body cameras will be reviewed or stored beyond the initial five business days.
  • It is unclear from the provided text what happens if a prison contractor fails to comply with the requirements for body camera usage and maintenance.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1820

Plain English: The amendment requires correctional officers at specific types of facilities to wear body cameras while on duty and mandates that footage be reviewed, stored, and transmitted under certain conditions.

  • Correctional officers must use body cameras during their shifts except for breaks when they may interact with inmates.
  • Prison contractors are responsible for providing the necessary equipment and maintaining it.
  • The department of correction reviews recordings within 72 hours if there is suspicion of unlawful or abusive behavior, and transmits relevant footage to prosecutors as needed.
  • Some details about how body camera data will be handled in specific situations are not fully explained in the provided text.
  • The exact penalties for non-compliance with the new requirements are not specified.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2026

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/14/2026

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2026

  7. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  9. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to 4/15/2026

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  11. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  15. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  16. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  21. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  24. 2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  26. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Public Service Subcommittee

  30. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  31. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  33. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  34. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  35. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1718
By Atchley

SENATE BILL 1820
By Hatcher
SB1820
010985
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 10 and Title 41, relative to body cameras.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 41, Chapter 24, is amended by adding
the following new section:
(a) The department shall study the cost of equipping correctional officers and
employees of prison contractors with body cameras who work in an adult correctional
facility located:
(1) On public property that houses, in whole or in part, inmates under the
custody of the department for which correction services are provided to such
inmates by a prison contractor; and
(2) In a county that has a metropolitan form of government with a
population of not less than eleven thousand six hundred (11,600) and not more
than eleven thousand six hundred sixteen (11,616), according to the 2020 federal
census or a subsequent federal census.
(b) The department shall report its findings to the chair of the senate state and
local government committee and the chair of the committee of the house of
representatives with jurisdiction over corrections not later than July 1, 2026. The report
may be submitted electronically.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.