[Effective Until 7/1/2024]

(a) Any person charged with a bailable offense may, before a magistrate authorized to admit the person to bail, be ordered released pending trial on the person’s personal recognizance or upon the execution of an unsecured appearance bond in an amount specified by the magistrate. If the magistrate orders that the person be released pending trial, then the magistrate shall impose the least restrictive conditions of release that will reasonably ensure the appearance of the person as required and the safety of the community.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class A felony15 to 60 yearsup to $50,000
class B felony8 to 30 yearsup to $25,000
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 40-11-115

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(b) In determining under subsection (a) whether or not a defendant shall be released, and if so, the least restrictive conditions of release that will reasonably ensure the appearance of the defendant as required and the safety of the community, the magistrate must consider any available results of a validated pretrial risk assessment conducted regarding the defendant for use in the jurisdiction and the defendant’s financial resources. In making this determination, the magistrate may also consider:

(1) The defendant’s length of residence in the community;
(2) The defendant’s employment status;
(3) The defendant’s prior criminal record, including prior releases on recognizance or bail;
(4) Whether, at the time of being charged with the offense, the defendant was on release pending trial, sentencing, or appeal in connection with another offense;
(5) The nature of the offense, the apparent probability of conviction, and the likely sentence, insofar as these factors are relevant to the risk of nonappearance;
(6) Any substance use or mental health issues that would be better addressed in a community-based treatment program; and
(7) Any other factors indicating the defendant’s ties to the community or bearing on the defendant’s risk of willful failure to appear.
(c) Any person charged only with a violation of § 55-50-504 whose driving privilege was cancelled, suspended, or revoked under § 40-24-105 solely because of a failure to pay litigation taxes, court costs, or fines assessed as a result of the disposition of any offense under the criminal laws of this state, and who does not have a prior conviction for failure to appear under § 39-16-609 within the previous ten (10) years, must be ordered released pending trial on the person’s personal recognizance or upon the execution of an unsecured appearance bond in an amount specified by the magistrate.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a person charged with any of the following offenses shall not be released on their own recognizance without the approval of a general sessions judge, criminal court judge, or circuit court judge having jurisdiction over the current charges:

(1) A Class A felony;
(2) A Class B felony;
(3) Aggravated assault, as defined in § 39-13-102;
(4) Aggravated assault against a first responder, as defined in § 39-13-116; or
(5) Domestic assault, as defined in § 39-13-111, if the violation is a felony offense.
(e) A defendant charged with a violation of § 39-13-102 or § 39-13-116 that involves strangulation of the victim shall not be released on the defendant’s personal recognizance or upon execution of an unsecured bond. The magistrate must require the defendant to post bail to reasonably ensure the appearance of the person as required and the safety of the community, in addition to any other conditions of release imposed.
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