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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed legislation that will close a loophole in state law regarding criminal offenses by repeat offenders who are classified as incompetent to stand trial.
The legislation “enacts ‘Jillian’s Law,’ which makes various changes relative to being adjudicated as a mental defective or judicially committed to a mental institution, including requiring a person judicially committed to remain committed until the competency of the person to stand trial is restored or, if competency is unable to be restored but the person no longer meets the standard, until the court with criminal jurisdiction over the charges approves a mandatory outpatient treatment plan that accounts for the safety of the community.”
Jillian’s Law will mandate that any criminal defendant who is determined to be not competent to stand trial be committed to a treatment facility.
They would also be entered into a National Instant Criminal Background Check System, placing them on the list of individuals who are not allowed to purchase or own firearms.
The legislation, sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) and Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol-District 4), was brought after Belmont student Jillian Ludwig was killed when 29-year-old Shaquille Taylor was attempting to shoot at a passing car.
Taylor had a history of violent offenses, but Taylor was found to be not competent to stand trial due to an intellectual disability and a language impairment. However, he did not meet the criteria to be involuntarily committed to a mental health institution.
Tennesseans continue to fall victim to crimes committed by repeat offenders, many of whom are released on the basis of mental competency.
Last month, a Nashville Amazon delivery driver was attacked and raped by a man who has been arrested and charged more than 90 times over the past 14 years, including the kidnapping of another woman in 2020. That charge was dismissed after a mental health court determined he was not competent to stand trial.
26-year-old Jamien Taylor attempted to kidnap a 15-year-old Nashville student as she got off the bus last week, just a few days after he was released from jail for charges of false imprisonment and assault.
Similar incidents take place across the state on an ongoing basis.
In explanations of the bill, Senator Lundberg stated that the intention is “getting people the help they need.”
The law will go into effect on July 1, 2024.
