TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 18, 2023

State Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna, is pushing legislation he believes would have stopped the aggressive lockup of children in Rutherford County and saved the county millions of dollars paid to those affected by local policies. According to Tennessee Lookout, the proposed legislation would prohibit interviews or interrogations of children without the presence of legal counsel,  parent, guardian or custodian. In addition, children would be told of their constitutional rights to legal representation when taken into custody, and a video recording of any interviews would be made. Reporting by ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio in 2021 revealed the high level of juvenile arrests in the county. Juvenile Court Judge Donna Davenport stepped down in 2022 amidst the controversy.