The Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) briefed the Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Oct. 28 on staffing, federal grant spending and technology modernization while facing sharp questioning about one inmate’s early release and subsequent violent crimes.

Commissioner Frank Strada summarized capital and federal support for the agency, noting TDOC received ARPA and CARES funding for an electronic health record (EHR) rollout and for an offender management system. “The transition from paper records to a digital platform represents a significant step forward,” Strada said, adding that the EHR had been implemented in state‑run facilities over the past 18 months.

Staffing and pay: Strada credited recent pay increases and recruitment/retention measures with a “29% decrease in the total number of correctional officer vacancies statewide.” He said the vacancy count now was “just over 450 correctional officer vacancy statewide,” with most concentrated at two facilities, and that vacancy rates at most facilities were now under 15 percent.

Technology and systems: TDOC said ARPA funds support its offender management system replacement and EHR work. Strada said the offender management system project has about $34.5 million in available funding and listed a projected completion date of December 2026.

Contraband, drones and mail scanning: TDOC described investments in body scanners, mail scanning devices and other targeted searches to reduce contraband. The commissioner said the budget request includes about $2 million for drone‑detection equipment to help stop airborne drops.

High‑profile sentence‑credit questions: Committee members pressed TDOC about how disciplinary credits were applied in the case of an inmate the committee identified as Austin Drummond. Chairman Halsey recounted that Drummond, while in custody, “committed nine Class A offenses” and “somehow … managed to earn 98 days of good behavior credits and 83 days of program credits” during a period when disciplinary incidents occurred. Halsey told the committee TDOC removed only about 30 days of credits and said that early release preceded later killings; he made those descriptions on the record during questioning.

Commissioner Strada acknowledged shortcomings. “We could have done a better job in that area,” he said, and explained the agency had revised its credit‑removal matrix, updated procedures and rebuilt tracking to make credit removals more consistent and recorded. TDOC staff said the department previously rarely removed sentence credits, but now handles credit removals more robustly.

Safety trends and programming: TDOC staff reported a rise in inmate assaults and other incidents over recent reporting periods and said the agency is studying the causes and operational fixes. The department emphasized growth in in‑prison vocational and education programming, the expansion of tablets for in‑cell education and onboarding of electronic health records. TDOC officials said some recidivism measures have ticked up and that the agency is reviewing program access and wait lists; they declined to give a single statewide figure for education program “seats” during the hearing but committed to provide counts to committee staff.

County jail transfers and capacity: TDOC told members it had taken more inmates from county jails than the prior year and that statewide bed capacity is roughly 25,000, with about 20,000 currently incarcerated in state facilities and 70,000 people under some form of state supervision (probation/parole). TDOC described efforts to manage county jail burdens and a centralization of some floating crew positions to permit flexible deployment.

What’s next: TDOC asked for continued support for technology, workforce and drone detection tools. The panel asked for follow‑up on the revised credit matrix, a count of program seats and a clearer breakdown of staffing by facility. Officials committed to provide more detailed materials after the hearing.