TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Apr 8, 2021

Criminal justice reform bills from Gov. Bill Lee's agenda are moving closer to passage, the Tennessean reports. Bills that seek to curb the number of nonviolent people returning to prison and give inmates being released a better chance at succeeding both have cleared legislative committees. HB784/SB767 deals with bolstering alternatives to incarceration and HB785/SB768, also known as the “Reentry Success Act of 2021,” seeks to help former inmates find housing and take advantage of other state resources. Both measures will next go before the House and Senate finance committees, effectively the last hurdles before a floor vote to become law. Lee discussed justice reform yesterday during a virtual panel with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Texas governor and U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, among others.