2014 Legislation
Survivor’s Safety Bill
Before this law was enacted in 2014, domestic abusers with multiple convictions for inflicting bodily injuries on their victims were often permitted to serve their jail time on the weekends and return home to the victims they abused during the work week. This situation prevented survivors and their families from having time time to recover from the trauma of the abuse, accessing social services and resources, and escaping from their abuser.
Our amendments require that abusers with multiple convictions for inflicting bodily injury serve their jail time day for day and consecutively, allowing their victims time to recover and seek resources. The language of our amendments to this law can be found in Tenn. Code Ann. 39-13-111.
(2) A second conviction for domestic assault committed in a manner prohibited by § 39-13-101(a)(1) is punishable by a fine of not less than three hundred fifty dollars ($350) nor more than three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500), and by confinement in the county jail or workhouse for not less than thirty (30) consecutive days, nor more than eleven (11) months and twenty-nine (29) days.
(3) A third or subsequent conviction for domestic assault committed in a manner prohibited by § 39-13-101(a)(1), is punishable by a fine of not less than one thousand one hundred dollars ($1,100) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), and by confinement in the county jail or workhouse for not less than ninety (90) consecutive days, nor more than eleven (11) months and twenty-nine (29) days.
(e) A person convicted of a violation under this section shall be required to serve at least the minimum sentence day for day. All persons sentenced under this section shall, in addition to service of at least the minimum sentence, be required to serve the difference between the time actually served and the maximum sentence on supervised probation.
For full text of Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-111, visit LexisNexis.
Please visit our partners' pages for more information:
Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence
Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence