Nashville, Tenn.–Tennessee is making history. It’s the first state to inaugurate a domestic violence offender registry that will be available to the public.
It’s called Savanna’s Law, named after Savanna Puckett, who was a Robertson County Sheriff’s Deputy who was found shot to death inside her burning home in 2022. She died at the hands of her ex-boyfriend James Jackson Conn, who pleaded guilty to premeditated murder and is serving a life sentence in prison.
The law is effective January 1, 2026, and it aims to prevent future violence by identifying repeat abusers. The registry will publicly identify abusers who are convicted of domestic violence offenses at least twice.
Tennessee will become the first state in the nation to launch a public domestic violence offender registry, a new tool supporters say could help prevent future violence by making repeat abusers easier to identify.
Here is more info on “Savanna’s Law”:
- Creates a Registry: The TBI will maintain an online registry of offenders with at least two domestic violence convictions.
- Information Included: Name, photo, date of birth, date of conviction, and county of conviction.
- Information Excluded: Addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and other sensitive IDs.
- Funding: A $150 fee funds administration and family violence prevention.
- Removal: Information is removed after 2-20 years, depending on the number of convictions.
- Official TBI/State Website: Look for the registry on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), as they are tasked with managing it.
- Tennessee General Assembly: You can find bill text and legislative history on the TN General Assembly website.
- January 1, 2026, for offenses committed on or after that date.