TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Advocates Hope to Change New Drug Sentencing Reform to Include Prisoners

Posted by: Kate Prince on Jun 25, 2020

A bill that reforms Tennessee’s drug-free school zone law passed through the state House and Senate last week, but advocates of the reform say it doesn’t completely fix the problem. The drug-free law, which dates back to 1995, adds mandatory minimum sentences for drug sales that take place near schools, daycare facilities, public libraries, recreation centers and parks and upgrades convictions to the next felony grade. Under the new legislation, HB2517/SB2734, drug-free zones shrink to 500 feet, judges are allowed more flexibility in sentencing and those convicted under the law will now be eligible for parole. However, the bill is not retroactive and about 400 people who were sentenced under the old law will remain in prison. Nashville attorney Daniel Horowitz, who has already helped free one client and is working to free another, wants Gov. Bill Lee to commute the sentences of those serving time under the old law. WPLN has the full story.

Law-Related Blogs AND PODCASTS

Check out other law-related blogs and podcasts generated from the Tennessee legal community or of interest to the Tennessee lawyers.