TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 16, 2024

State Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, filed two bills last week related to Tennessee's bail system. The first bill, HB33, would require judges to assume that anyone charged with an offense "involving the use or display of firearms" should not be released on their own recognizance. A magistrate or judicial officer who decides to release someone with such charges on their own recognizance would "be required to list out written findings in a bail order for each applicable factor," the Commercial Appeal reports. The second bill, HB34, would allow judicial system officials to consider a defendant's juvenile record in determining bail. Currently, Tennessee law does not allow courts to consider juvenile criminal records in bail proceedings.