(a) The department shall develop and maintain a system for the resolution of grievances by inmates housed in facilities operated by the department that qualifies for certification under 42 U.S.C. § 1997e, and the department shall obtain certification under that section. A remedy provided by the grievance system is the exclusive administrative remedy available to an inmate for a claim for relief that arises while the inmate is housed in a facility operated by the department, other than a remedy provided by writ of habeas corpus challenging the validity of an action occurring before the delivery of the inmate to the department.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 41-21-817

  • Claim: means any lawsuit or appeal filed by an inmate except a petition for post-conviction relief. See Tennessee Code 41-21-801
  • Department: means the department of correction. See Tennessee Code 41-21-801
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
  • Inmate: means a person housed in a facility operated by the department, housed in a county jail or housed in a correctional facility operated by a private corporation pursuant to a contract with the state or local government. See Tennessee Code 41-21-801
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The grievance system must provide procedures for an inmate to identify evidence to substantiate the inmate’s claim and for an inmate to receive copies of all formal written responses to the inmate’s grievance.
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