Title 39, Criminal Offenses

(a) The offense of buying and selling in regard to offices is committed when:(1) Any person holding any office, or being elected to any office:(A) Enters into any bargain and sale for any valuable consideration whatever in regard to the office;(B) Sells, resigns or vacates the of…

(a) It is an exception to the application of §§ 39-16-102, 39-16-104 and 39-16-105, that the benefit involved is a fee prescribed by law to be received by a public servant or any other benefit to which the public servant is lawfully entitled. (b) It is a defense to prosecution un…

(a) A person commits an offense who:(1) Offers, confers or agrees to confer anything of value upon a witness or a person the defendant believes will be called as a witness in any official proceeding with intent to:(A) Corruptly influence the testimony of the witness;(B) Induce th…

(a) A person commits an offense who:(1) Offers, confers or agrees to confer any pecuniary benefit upon a juror with the intent that the juror's vote, opinion, decision or other action as a juror will be corruptly influenced; or(2) Solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any pecunia…

(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, “telecommunication device” means any type of instrument, device, machine, or equipment that is capable of transmitting telephonic, electronic, digital, cellular or radio communications, or any part of such instru…

(a) (1) A warden or chief administrative officer employed by a penal institution, as defined in § 39-16-601, or the warden or administrative officer's designee, who knows that an offense enumerated in subdivision (a)(2) has occurred within the penal institution shall report the o…

(a) A person commits criminal impersonation who, with intent to injure or defraud another person:(1) Assumes a false identity;(2) Pretends to be a representative of some person or organization;(3) Pretends to be an officer or employee of the government; or(4) Pretends to have a d…

(a) It is unlawful for any person who is not licensed to do so, to practice or pretend to be licensed to practice a profession for which a license certifying the qualifications of the licensee to practice the profession is required. (b) A violation of this section is a Class E fe…

(a) A person commits the offense of using a false identification who, for the purpose of obtaining goods, services or privileges to which the person is not otherwise entitled or eligible, uses a false identification. (b) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor; howev…

(a) As used in this section, “service animal” and “support animal” have the same meanings as the terms are defined in § 66-7-111(a). (b) A person commits the offense of misrepresentation of a service animal or support animal who knowingly:(1) Fraudulently represents, as a part of…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Act” means a bodily movement, whether voluntary or involuntary, and includes speech;(2) “Law” means the constitution or a statute of this state or of the United States, a written opinion of a court of record, a …

(a) A public servant commits an offense who, with intent to obtain a benefit or to harm another, intentionally or knowingly:(1) Commits an act relating to the public servant's office or employment that constitutes an unauthorized exercise of official power;(2) Commits an act unde…

(a) A public servant acting under color of office or employment commits an offense who:(1) Intentionally subjects another to mistreatment or to arrest, detention, stop, frisk, halt, search, seizure, dispossession, assessment or lien when the public servant knows the conduct is un…

(a) A public servant commits an offense who, by reason of information to which the public servant has access in the public servant's official capacity and that has not been made public, attains or aids another to attain a benefit. (b) An offense under this section is a Class B mi…

(a) A judge, sheriff, court clerk, court officer or employee of any court commits an offense who bids or purchases, directly or indirectly, for personal reasons or for any other person, on any kind of property sold through the court for which the judge, sheriff, court clerk, cour…

(a) A public servant convicted under § 39-16-402, § 39-16-403 or § 39-16-404 shall be removed from office or discharged from the position. (b) A public servant elected or appointed for a specified term shall be:(1) Suspended without pay immediately upon conviction in the trial co…

(a) A public servant commits an offense who, with intent to deceive, knowingly misrepresents material information related to an audit conducted by an auditor in the department of audit. (b) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

(a) For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) “Law enforcement officer” and “correctional employee” include a person working in that capacity as a private contractor or employee of a private contractor; and(2) “Volunteer” means any person who, after…

(a) For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Probation and parole officer” means a probation and parole officer as defined in § 40-28-102; and(2) “Probationer or parolee” means any individual who is placed on probation or parole, as defined in § 40…

(a) It is an offense for a supervisor to intentionally:(1) Instruct, direct, or encourage an employee to make a false statement, entry, notation, or report during or in relation to an audit;(2) Alter, destroy, or conceal information, documentation, or material having evidentiary …

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Public servant” means a person elected, selected, employed or otherwise designated as one (1) of the following, even if the person has not yet qualified for office or assumed the duties:(A) An officer, employee,…

(a) It is unlawful for any person to:(1) Initiate a report or statement to a law enforcement officer concerning an offense or incident within the officer's concern knowing that:(A) The offense or incident reported did not occur;(B) The person has no information relating to the of…

(a) It is unlawful for any person, knowing that an investigation or official proceeding is pending or in progress, to:(1) Alter, destroy, or conceal any record, document or thing with intent to impair its verity, legibility, or availability as evidence in the investigation or off…

(a) It is unlawful for any person to:(1) Knowingly make a false entry in, or false alteration of, a governmental record;(2) Make, present, or use any record, document or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent that it will be taken as a genuine governmental record; or…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Division of protective services” means the division of the department of safety established under § 4-3-2006, and includes any member of the Tennessee highway patrol, commissioned member of the office of homeland security, or other state or local …

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Coercion” means a threat, however communicated, to:(A) Commit any offense;(B) Wrongfully accuse any person of any offense;(C) Expose any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule;(D) Harm the credit or business repute of any person; or(E) Take or wi…

(a) A person commits an offense who, by means of coercion, influences or attempts to influence a witness or prospective witness in an official proceeding with intent to influence the witness to:(1) Testify falsely;(2) Withhold any truthful testimony, truthful information, documen…

(a) A person commits an offense who by means of coercion:(1) Influences or attempts to influence a juror in the exercise of the juror's official power or in the performance of the juror's official duty; or(2) Influences or attempts to influence a juror not to vote or to vote in a…

(a) A person commits an offense who privately communicates with a juror with intent to influence the outcome of the proceeding on the basis of considerations other than those authorized by law. (b) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(a) (1) A person commits an offense who harms or threatens to harm an individual involved in the judicial process or a family member of such person with the intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with, or retaliate against the individual in connection with the individual's parti…

(a) A person commits an offense who offers, confers, or agrees to confer any benefit upon a juror for the juror's having exercised the juror's official power or performed the juror's official duty in favor of the person or another. (b) A violation of this section is a Class A mis…

(a) A person commits an offense who solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit for having exercised official power or performed official duty in favor of another as a juror. (b) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

It is a defense to prosecution under §§ 39-16-511 and 39-16-512 that the benefit involved was a trivial benefit incidental to personal, professional, or business contacts, which involves no substantial risk of undermining official juror impartiality.

It is a Class A misdemeanor for any employer to dismiss from employment any employee because of jury service by that employee.

(a) It is an offense for a person to knowingly activate and point a laser pointer or other device utilizing a laser beam at an individual known to be a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician or other emergency service personnel while the individual is …

(a) A public official or public employee shall not establish or maintain, formally or informally, a plan to evaluate, promote, compensate, or discipline a law enforcement officer solely by the issuance of a predetermined or specified number of any type or combination of types of …

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Mass violence” means any act which a reasonable person would conclude could lead to the serious bodily injury, as defined in § 39-11-106, or the death of two (2) or more persons;(2) “Means of communication” means direct and indirect verbal, writte…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Complaining witness” means a person who signs a criminal complaint;(2) “Custody” means under arrest by a law enforcement officer or under restraint by a public servant pursuant to an order of a court;(3) “Escape…

(a) It is an offense for a person to intentionally prevent or obstruct anyone known to the person to be a law enforcement officer, or anyone acting in a law enforcement officer's presence and at the officer's direction, from effecting a stop, frisk, halt, arrest or search of any …

(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (b), it is unlawful for any person to intentionally conceal themselves or flee by any means of locomotion from anyone the person knows to be a law enforcement officer if the person:(A) Knows the officer is attempting to arrest the person; …

(a) It is unlawful for any person to solicit, accept or agree to accept any benefit in consideration of refraining from reporting to a law enforcement officer the commission or suspected commission of an offense. (b) It is unlawful for a complaining witness to solicit, accept or …

(a) It is an offense for any lawfully confined person arrested for, charged with, or found guilty of a civil or criminal offense to escape from a penal institution, as defined in § 39-16-601. (b) (1) A person commits the offense of escape who is in the lawful custody of a law enf…

(a) Whenever a person convicted of a felony escapes from the custody of a penal institution, the appropriate warden, departmental official or law enforcement official responsible for the custody of the person shall immediately report the escape to the following persons:(1) Commis…

(a) An official or employee of any penal institution that is responsible for maintaining persons in custody commits an offense who intentionally, knowingly or recklessly permits or facilitates the escape of a person in custody. (b) It is unlawful for any person to intentionally o…

(a) It is unlawful for any person, with intent to facilitate escape, to introduce into a penal institution, or provide an inmate with, anything that may be useful for the inmate's escape. (b) A violation of this section is a Class D felony.

(a) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly fail to appear as directed by a lawful authority if the person:(1) Has been lawfully issued a criminal summons pursuant to § 40-6-215;(2) Has been lawfully commanded to appear for booking and processing pursuant to a criminal summons…