Hundreds of people in Tennessee serving outdated prison sentences for drug-free school zone offenses may soon have a shot at resentencing, following a Reason investigation four years ago that showed how harsh and illogical their sentences were.
Tennessee enacted legislation in 2020 shrinking the size of its drug-free school zones and tightening when mandatory minimum sentences could be applied, but that legislation did not include any retroactive relief for roughly 400 inmates already serving sentences. The Tennessee Senate unanimously passed a bill earlier this week that would allow those doing time for drug-free school zone offenses under the old law to petition a judge for resentencing. The bill now heads to the governor's desk to await signature.
