TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Jul 16, 2020

While many Tennessee counties have worked to reduce jail populations during the COVID-19 pandemic, at least a quarter of the state's facilities were operating at 75% or more capacity at the end of April, with nine of those meeting or exceeding their full capacities, a new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee says. The report highlights changes in jail populations and pretrial populations from December 2019 through April 2020, WZTV reports. The ACLU report also provides recommendations for further reducing jail populations to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including the release of medically vulnerable people, reduction in arrests for minor offenses and courts ordering pretrial release without conditions in all cases where release poses no risk to safety. Read the full report here.