In July, two new state laws will go into effect aimed at stopping a revolving door of violent offenders who are being released from custody after being deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Jillian’s Law, named after slain Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig, requires automatic commitment for anyone deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, while a second law provides state funding for mental health evaluations and treatment for misdemeanor offenders.
Proponents say the efforts will help fix a broken system, but mental health and disability advocates worry the laws will lead to more people languishing in overcrowded jails due to the state’s lack of treatment programs and staffing for psychiatric beds.
How crowded are Tennessee's jails currently? Here is a closer look at capacity and costs across the state.
How many are incarcerated?
As of April, more than 26,000 people were incarcerated in jail across Tennessee, according to state figures.
Jails on average had a capacity of 83%, though some counties were over capacity.
A March report from the Sycamore Institutie, a Nashville-based policy center, found that 19 county jails were over 100% capacity between October 2023 and January of this year, while 20 jails were at 90% and above.
Counties with the highest capacities included Sullivan, Humphreys, Morgan and Lewis.
Pre-trial inmates, those who have not yet been convicted of a crime, have become the largest share of the local jail population, at more than 50%.
From 2000 to 2023, the pre-trial inmate population rose by 129%, compared to the convicted population, which grew just 2%.
The overall size of Tennessee’s incarcerated population in prisons and jails dropped sharply during the pandemic but has since grown.
A U.S. Department of Justice report found that from 2021 to 2022, Tennessee saw a nearly 8% increase in incarcerated people, surpassed only by Montana, Colorado and Mississippi.
The state in 2022 passed what is known as a truth in sentencing bill that requires some violent offenders to serve 100% of their sentence without the possibility of parole or early release.
In Davidson County, the Maximum Correctional Center and the men’s jail were both operating at over 80% capacity, while the women’s jail was just under 50% as of April.
How much does Tennessee spend on incarceration?
Tennessee counties spent an estimated $554 million in 2022 to operate local jails, according to Sycamore Institute.
More than 40 countries since 2009 have started or completed jail construction, expansion or renovation projects.
Counties spend on average 4% of their annual budgets on jails, with Shelby, Gibson, Carroll and Wilson at the top.
Most Popular
Comments / 0