Tenn. Code Ann. § 41-22-403 (2026)

The intent of the general assembly and the policy of the state regarding the labor of inmates within the correctional system is as follows:

• (1) The department of correction is responsible for establishing and assigning inmates to the following inmate programs:
  • (A) Academic and vocational education;
  • (B) Special needs programming;
  • (C) Inmate jobs necessary for supporting the operations of the prisons; and
  • (D) Inmate jobs providing services to the community, appropriately based on the custody level of the inmate as determined by department of correction policy;

• (2) TRICOR has a mission to accomplish the following objectives:
  • (A) Work inmates in manufacturing, business services or agricultural jobs;
  • (B) Offset the costs of incarceration by generating revenue through the sale of products or business services;
  • (C) Develop work opportunities that minimize the impact on free-world jobs;
  • (D) Integrate work opportunities with education and vocational training;
  • (E) Develop good work habits and marketable skills;
  • (F) Develop and operate a post-release placement system; and
  • (G) Provide or create other programs and services as deemed necessary by TRICOR to support an inmate's rehabilitation and reintegration efforts; and

• (3)
  • (A) The board created in § 41-22-404 is responsible for developing jobs, training and selecting department of correction inmates for participation in industry, business services or agricultural programs and for the sale of products or services for the purpose of generating revenue to offset the costs of incarceration.
  • (B) The department is responsible for assigning inmates to TRICOR jobs that are developed by the board of directors established in § 41-22-404.

Acts 1994, ch. 737, § 1; 2001, ch. 289, § 2; 2003, ch. 187, §§ 10, 11.