(a) The commissioner shall forfeit an inmate‘s good conduct sentence reduction credits in the amount specified by subsection (b) on:

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 41-21-816

  • Claim: means any lawsuit or appeal filed by an inmate except a petition for post-conviction relief. See Tennessee Code 41-21-801
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of correction. See Tennessee Code 41-21-801
  • Department: means the department of correction. See Tennessee Code 41-21-801
  • 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
  • Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
  • 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
(1) Receipt by the department of a certified copy of a final order of a state or federal court that dismisses as frivolous or malicious a claim or lawsuit filed by an inmate while the inmate was in the custody of the department; and
(2) A determination that the department has, on one (1) or more occasions, received a certified copy of a final order of a state or federal court dismissing as frivolous or malicious a claim or lawsuit filed previously by the inmate while the inmate was in the custody of the department.
(b) On receipt of a final order described by subdivision (a)(1), the commissioner shall forfeit:

(1) Sixty (60) days of an inmate’s accrued good conduct sentence reduction credits if the department has previously received one (1) final order described by subdivision (a)(2);
(2) One hundred twenty (120) days of an inmate’s accrued good conduct sentence reduction credits if the department has previously received two (2) final orders described by subdivision (a)(2); or
(3) One hundred eighty (180) days of an inmate’s accrued good conduct sentence reduction credits if the department has previously received three (3) final orders described by subdivision (a)(2).
(c) The commissioner may not restore good conduct sentence reduction credits forfeited under this section for any reason.