Bill > HB0674

This bill, titled the "Proximity Placement and Family Visitation Incentive Act," mandates that the Tennessee Department of Correction conduct a comprehensive study on the benefits of keeping incarcerated individuals close to their families. The study will investigate how regular family visits might reduce the likelihood of former inmates reoffending (recidivism), examine the financial burdens families face when traveling to distant correctional facilities, and analyze programs in other states that allow qualified inmates to be transferred to prisons nearer to their loved ones, including their eligibility criteria, costs, and success rates in reducing reincarceration. The Department is authorized to seek information from other government agencies and must submit its findings to the General Assembly by January 31, 2027, using existing resources for the study.