Resources and Information
Boot Camp
The Special Alternative Incarceration Program or Boot Camp, located at Turney Center Industrial Complex Annex in Wayne County, is a highly disciplined and structured program combining community service work, life skills and drug treatment. Offenders sentenced to the Tennessee Department of Correction for six years or less may be eligible for the program. Upon successful completion of the program, an offender is released to community supervision.
Community Service/Work Project Program
The Community Service Program provides services and assistance to non-profit and government agencies. Probation/parole officers are responsible for coordinating this program to facilitate appropriate assignments for the offenders and monitoring them to ensure the offenders are reporting to the agencies as agreed.
The Work Project Program, required by legislative action in 1984 and funded in 1985, is a special condition attached to probation certificates requiring offenders on probation to complete a specified number of work project hours in the community at no expense to the citizen.
Offender Employment
One vital factor in an offender's success is the ability to obtain and retain employment. An offender who is gainfully employed is three times less likely to commit another crime. The entire community benefits when an offender becomes a productive, taxpaying citizen who contributes to the community in a positive way. Hiring an offender offers several benefits to employers, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and the Federal Bonding Program, but, most importantly, the benefit that comes from hiring someone who can offer an employer skills, along with the strong desire to prove himself as a committed and valuable employee. Fill out this application, if you are interested in assisting us by providing employment.
Employment FAQs
Can the probation or parole officer help me find a job?
Probation/parole officers can assist with job placement by making a referral to the employment specialist. The employment specialist assists to identify vocational skills and interests, and appropriate employer matches. Offenders are then referred to potential employers in the area or matched with available partner employers. Referrals may also be made to the local American Job Center for job search assistance. Offenders are encouraged to register as a job seeker at www.jobs4tn.gov where they can create a resume, find job fairs, and search for jobs in their county or surrounding counties.
Is financial assistance available for employers who hire offenders?
Employers can participate in the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program or the Federal Bonding Program.
Enhanced/Intensive Probation
The Intensive Probation Program was established by policy in 1986 as an alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders. Offenders are placed in highly structured programs where they are supervised more often than offenders who are on regular probation. Supervision includes the following: random drug screens, electronic monitoring, curfew checks, home visits and monitoring any court ordered special conditions. Home visits occur at night and on weekends. Once the offender successfully completes the program, he/she is moved to regular probation programming for any remaining period of supervision. Probation offenders may also be moved into the program by judicial order from regular probation as an alternative to incarceration for a probation violation.
Fee Collection
Community Supervision collects fees from eligible probation/parole offenders according to TCA 40-28-201. The fees are set at a maximum of $45 per month based upon income level and hardship factors, according to the statute. The fees are separated into three funds: supervision, diversion, and criminal injuries compensation.
In addition to the above fees, applicable offenders may be responsible for additional fees such as DNA collection, GPS monitoring, Sex Offender Registration and Interstate Compact Transfer Applications, as well as the cost of reimbursing the Tennessee Department of Correction for drug testing.
The Tennessee Department of Correction has partnered with JPay to facilitate the offender fee deposit process. Click here to for additional information about how to pay supervision fees or to pay supervision fees.
Institutional Probation Parole Specialist (IPPS)
The Institutional Probation/Parole Specialist (IPPO) acts as a liaison between the Department of Correction and the Board of Parole (BOP). An IPPO assists in facilitation of parole hearings, may provide information about parole policies and procedures to institutional staff and offenders, coordinate the approval of release plans, monitor pre-parole condition completion and negotiate execution of parole, community supervision for life and determinate release certificates.
Interstate Compact Agreement (ISC)
The Interstate Compact Agreement for the supervision of parolees/probationers was established to provide for the orderly transfer of supervision of parolees/probationers between different state jurisdictions. All 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are members. The two primary goals of the compact are community protection and the rehabilitation of the offender. Community protection involves regulation of travel, supervision of the offender, and returning of the offender to the sending state upon violation.
The Interstate Compact for the supervision of adult offenders was enacted in Tennessee by the Legislature in 2002. For additional information, visit the website Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision.
Programmed Supervision Unit/GPS Monitoring
The Programmed Supervision Unit (PSU) was implemented in 2007 to supervise violent and sexual offenders. The PSU is a specialized unit comprised of probation parole officers trained specifically in best practices for supervising this particular population. Supervision includes targeted treatment, close supervision tactics including frequent contact with the offenders, employers, families, treatment providers and law enforcement. Officers are responsible for monitoring PSU offenders' compliance with applicable requirements, including all the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration Law.
TCA 40-39-301, the Tennessee Serious and Violent Sex Offender Monitoring Pilot Project Act authorizes TDOC to use satellite-based monitoring of offenders using global positioning systems (GPS.) Officers in the PSU may use GPS technology to monitor offenders determined to be at a high risk to re-offend.