1. What does the state board do to review the sentences?
A: Created in 2024, they double check the decisions of the disciplinary boards at the 14 state prisons, and 112 jails in Tennessee.
They review how much “good time” has been given to reward inmates for good behavior, to get their sentences lessened.
The state board give penalties for misbehavior — like attacking other inmates or guards or having drugs or a cell phone — including removing sentence credits.
Proponents of the new board argue if someone behaved poorly, they won’t get out early.
Opponents say the 28,000 inmates are too many for one board to review, and such a high number of cases would create backlog, which would lead to inmates spending more time behind bars, costing millions more per year.