NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna, has proposed legislation to crack down on contraband in jails and prisons across the Volunteer State.
House Bill 1678 would increase the penalties for knowingly and with unlawful intent sending or bringing contraband into a penal institution that results in the death of another person. The proposal strengthens the following:
- Class C felony to a Class B felony for weapons, ammunition, or explosives
- Class D felony to a Class C felony for intoxicants, legend drugs, controlled substances, or controlled substance analogues
- Class E felony, punishable by a fine only, to a Class D felony for telecommunication devices
“Prisons are designed to be controlled facilities to protect the safety and security of corrections officers, staff and inmates,” said Sparks. “Unfortunately, contraband continues to destroy lives by creating uncertainty and leading to violence, drug overdoses and other tragic incidents. This legislation is an important step in ensuring correctional facilities in our state are places where people can safely serve their sentences and be rehabilitated.”
The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC)has announced several intercepts of contraband in recent years. In 2025, a shipment containing hundreds of suboxone strips and drug-laced paper, marijuana, THC oils, 50 pounds of tobacco and more than 70 cell phones and chargers was seized at the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City.
Nearly 50 inmates in prisons across the Volunteer State have died from illicit drugs in each of the past five years, according to TDOC.
Penal institutions include jails, prisons and other detention facilities.
House Bill 1678 will be considered in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee on March 11. If passed by the General Assembly, it would take effect July 1.
State Rep. Mike Sparks of Smyrna represents District 49 in the Tennessee House of Representatives, which includes part of Rutherford County.