A pioneering law establishing the United States' first-ever registry for individuals convicted of domestic abuse has come into force in the state of Tennessee.
What is Savanna's Law?
The legislation, officially named 'Savanna's Law', took effect on Thursday. It mandates the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to create and maintain a database of offenders who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to at least two domestic violence offences.
The registry is named in memory of Savanna Puckett, a 22-year-old sheriff's deputy from Robertson County who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in January 2022. The database will include an offender's name, date of birth, photograph, and the location of their convictions. However, it will not list their home address.
How the New Registry Will Work
The new system is not retroactive. Only individuals who plead guilty or are convicted of offences on or after 1 January 2024 will be eligible for inclusion. Information can remain in the database for up to 20 years following an offender's most recent conviction.
The law was driven by the tragic case of Savanna Puckett. After she failed to arrive for work in January 2022, a colleague went to her home and found it ablaze. Firefighters later discovered Puckett's body inside; she had been shot multiple times.
Her ex-boyfriend, James Jackson Conn, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and is now serving a life sentence. Investigations after Puckett's death revealed Conn had an extensive history of domestic violence allegations, including incidents in 2019 where he shoved a girlfriend down stairs and forced his way into another woman's home.
A Mother's Campaign for Change
Savanna's mother, Kim Dodson, became a vocal advocate for the registry after her daughter's killing. She told local media she was horrified upon learning of Conn's prior record, stating she believed her daughter would never have dated him had she been aware of his violent past.
'I honestly, honestly, honestly feel that if she had known that she could still be here,' Dodson said.
The move highlights the severe and widespread issue of domestic violence in the US. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, one in four adult women and one in seven adult men have experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner.
Furthermore, domestic violence is frequently linked to broader public safety crises. A study found that between 2014 and 2019, nearly 70% of mass shootings (where four or more people were killed) involved a perpetrator who either killed a partner or family member or had a known history of domestic abuse.
