(a) For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class E felony1 to 6 yearsup to $3,000
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 39-16-408

  • Law enforcement officer: includes a sheriff, sheriff's deputy, and, only for purposes of the enhancement of a crime, a deputy jailer. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Person: includes the singular and the plural and means and includes any individual, firm, partnership, copartnership, association, corporation, governmental subdivision or agency, or other organization or other legal entity, or any agent or servant thereof. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
(1) “Law enforcement officer” and “correctional employee” include a person working in that capacity as a private contractor or employee of a private contractor; and
(2) “Volunteer” means any person who, after fulfilling the appropriate policy requirements, is assigned to a volunteer job and provides a service without pay from the correctional agency, except for compensation for those expenses incurred directly as a result of the volunteer service.
(b) It is an offense for a law enforcement officer, correctional employee, vendor or volunteer to engage in sexual contact or sexual penetration, as such terms are defined in § 39-13-501, with a prisoner or inmate who is in custody at a penal institution as defined in § 39-16-601, whether the conduct occurs on or off the grounds of the institution.
(c) A violation of this section is a Class E felony.