Change in Tennessee Law

Floor Speech

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, Tennessee has a law that is about 160 years old. The legislature changed it some, but the Governor needs to sign a bill to do it. It is a law that allows juveniles, before they are convicted, be sent for ``safekeeping'' in an adult penitentiary or prison.

This occurred recently in two cases. The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group took one of those cases. A girl was charged with a crime and had a $30,000 bond assigned to her. She couldn't make that bond and the court sent her to an adult penitentiary where she and one other girl were isolated in a wing of the adult penitentiary for 40 days.

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group got an attorney, Josh Spickler, who got the girl's bond set at a higher figure, but one that they were willing to make to get her out of jail.

Juveniles should not be put in adult facilities before they are convicted, and nobody should be put in safekeeping and put away like that when they don't need to be, and they can be incarcerated in a juvenile facility. I hope the Governor signs the bill and makes our Tennessee law more current.

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