Tennessee Department of Corrections Commissioner Frank Strada told the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee that the department has used state investments to reduce correctional officer vacancies and implement technology such as electronic health records, while acknowledging operational challenges including violence and recidivism metrics.

Most newsworthy points
- Staffing and compensation: Strada credited recent pay increases for a 29 percent decrease in total correctional officer vacancies since the raises took effect, reporting just over 450 vacancies statewide and vacancy rates under 15 percent at most facilities. The General Assembly contributed recurring pay increases to corrections officers totaling more than $85 million since FY2020.
- EHR and offender management: TDOC has implemented an electronic health record system across state‑run facilities; the EHR grant for implementation has about $4.6 million in unspent but obligated funds. An ARPA grant supports an offender management system (about $34.5 million allocated) that TDOC reported as fully obligated but with unspent funds; TDOC expects the offender management project to complete by December 2026.
- Sentence credits and policy change after high‑profile case: Committee members pressed TDOC about Austin Drummond, an individual whose disciplinary record included repeated class‑A offenses while incarcerated who nonetheless accrued sentence credits that led to an earlier release and later violent crimes in the community. TDOC officials said sentence‑credit removal prior to reforms was rare; the department has strengthened its disciplinary matrix and procedures, implemented more robust tracking and now removes many more days than previously.
- Operational challenges and outcomes: Strada acknowledged increases in assaults on staff and on inmates compared with earlier years and described efforts to reduce contraband (body scanners, mail scanning, targeted intelligence searches) and to address drone‑based drops, including a requested $2 million for drone detection technology.

What committee members asked and TDOC's response
- Multiple lawmakers asked whether TDOC could have prevented the early release of a man who committed subsequent homicides; TDOC leaders said the department could have done more and that the disciplinary matrix and credit controls were reformed to prevent recurrence.
- Legislators asked about program seats and education/vocational program capacity inside facilities. TDOC said it has expanded tablets and vocational programs and reported more than 1,500,000 education and religious certificate completions since tablet deployment.

Ending note: TDOC presented progress on staffing, technology and equipment investments while acknowledging systemic issues — from sentence credits to contraband and in‑custody violence — that the department said it is addressing through policy reforms, technology investments and continued funding requests.