However, a troubling trend has emerged, as 16% of these individuals have been rearrested while out on bond, sparking concerns among law enforcement and community leaders.
Criminal justice is a hot topic in the Tennessee legislature this year. And while some bills would keep people behind bars for longer, others aim to get people out especially those held before their trials.
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As Republican state Sen. Janice Bowling explained to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, a person in Tennessee who is convicted of first-degree murder faces three possible sentences: life with the possibility of parole, life without the possibility of parole or death. But because of an extraordinarily harsh sentencing law, a person sentenced to life with the possibility of parole is not eligible to even be considered for release until they have served 51 years in prison.
That s double the national average, Bowling told the committee, and means most people facing the sentence will die before they ever get a chance at parole.