TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on May 7, 2021

The Tennessee House recently approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would clarify that the state Constitution’s ban on slavery does not prohibit prisoners from working. The Senate passed the measure in March. Both chambers passed it last year. The proposed amendment will now be on the statewide ballot in November 2022, Mainstreet Nashville reports. During House debate, Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis, said the language came directly from the Tennessee Department of Correction and was intended to eliminate any confusion about whether work from prisoners could fall under the Constitution’s ban on slavery.