NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A newly-filed bill would increase the penalty for intentionally abusing a child between 9 and 17 years old from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony in Tennessee.
“If you hurt kids, we should throw the book at you,” Rep. Jake McCalmon (R-Franklin), the bill’s sponsor said.
Under current Tennessee law, abusing a child “in such a manner to inflict injury” is only a felony if the child is 8 years old and under. In cases where the child is 9 years old and older, it’s a Class A misdemeanor.
“To me, there’s not much difference between an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old, so it should at least be a Class E felony,” Rep. McCalmon said.
Rep. McCalmon told News 2 he got the idea to draft the bill after learning grand theft, or stealing property valued at $500 or more, carries a harsher punishment than abusing and injuring a 9- to 17-year-old child in Tennessee.
“I use the example of, say if I go and steal a Louis Vuitton purse for my wife. That’s a Class E felony. I could do up to five years in prison,” Rep. McCalmon said. “But if somebody decides to beat a kid to the point where they’re hospitalized, that’s a Class A misdemeanor. I say we value kids more than we value things in Tennessee, so it should at least be a Class E felony if you’re going to put a 9 to 17-year-old in the hospital.”
According to the most recent State of the Child report, Tennessee had 3,962 first-time child abuse victims in 2021, which was the fourth lowest in the country. However, when the report factored in recurring child abuse victims, the state shot up to 15th most abuse victims country, “indicating the state experiences higher instances of recurring abuse than others,” the report said.
Rep. McCalmon hopes increasing the penalty will act as a deterrent and eventually bring down child abuse cases in the state.
The Republican lawmaker brought a similar bill last legislative session, but it didn’t get the funding it needed. Since it passed committee and received bipartisan support, Rep. McCalmon is confident it could pass if it gets funded this upcoming session.
“It’s proof that not everything we deal with in the general assembly is a partisan issue,” Rep. McCalmon said. “This is not a partisan issue. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, every one of us wants to protect kids.”
The bill needs a sponsor in the Senate to be presented to the general assembly. If passed, it would go into effect July 1, 2025.
