TN: Bill to create ‘Savanna’s Law’ – a domestic violence offender registry

In Tennessee, lawmakers are trying to pass ‘Savanna’s Law’ to create a domestic violence offender registry.

The legislation proposes the creation of a publicly accessible registry for individuals convicted multiple times of domestic violence offenses, similar to existing sex offender registries.

But is it similar?

Maybe the look and feel and general concept of publicly outing domestic violence offenders, but ‘Savanna’s Law’ would only list repeat offenders, whereas the sex offender registry is a one strike law.

Statistically speaking, if the registries are intended to protect the public from those it deems likely to reoffend, why do domestic violence offenders get a second chance when statistically they have ten times the likelihood of reoffending than a sex offender?

One-half of survivors of domestic violence report reoccurence of domestic violence within 12 months, and one-half of individuals who have perpetrated domestic violence commit a new episode of general violence within 3 months. (See: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10372708/). Compare that with 5.3% over three years for sex offenders. Accounting for the time, that’s actually more than 10 times the recidivism rate.

While we are at it, this country is facing an opioid epidemic. Picking just one city in Tennessee, Nashville reported 1045 drug overdoses in 2024 (see: https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/Quarterly-Drug-Overdose-Surveillance-Update-2024-Q1.pdf?ct=1714584657). 68% of drug offenders are rearrested within 3 years of release from prison. Again, compared to 5.3% it would seem like Tennessee needs a public drug offender registry also!