TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Sep 25, 2024

A Nashville judge’s ruling last week that a man serving a life sentence is eligible for credits that could reduce his prison time by up to 36 years has raised questions about whether others in prison have sentences that should have ended. According to The Tennessean, the decision by Chancellor Russell Perkins means that anyone sentenced to life in prison before 1995 or sentenced to life as a juvenile should have sentence reduction credits, or “good time,” applied to their sentences’ expiration dates, says David Esquivel, an attorney representing the plaintiff in the case. A 1995 sentencing law required people serving life sentences to serve at least 51 years behind bars. However, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that this law was unconstitutional as applied to minors. As a result, juveniles sentenced after 1995 have had their sentences recalculated under a less harsh law. Adults sentenced after 1995 are not affected by this ruling. It remains unclear how the Tennessee Department of Correction will respond to this court decision and its potential implications.