Reacting to a Belmont University student's death from a stray bullet, Tennessee lawmakers passed a measure that would allow judges to commit offenders to a mental health facility if they’re deemed incompetent to stand trial. The law is one of several measures that took effect Monday designed to clamp down on crime and enact tougher punishments in some instances, reports the Tennessee Lookout. Lawmakers passed the bill in response to Jillian Ludwig’s 2023 death after her mother, Jessica Ludwig, told legislators, “there is nothing worse than losing a child. It leaves a giant hole in your heart that can never be filled.” The new law also prohibits the offender from possessing or buying guns.
House Majority Leader William Lamberth, who sponsored “Jillian’s Law,” said the legislature enacted several “smart-on-crime” policies over the last few sessions, emphasizing “prevention, improving accountability and reducing recidivism.” He said, “Jillian’s Law provides critical resources so that dangerous individuals may no longer avoid responsibility for their crimes and continue to victimize innocent Tennesseans." The man accused of the crime, Shaquille Taylor, had been released from jail in Nashville on another charge after being found incompetent to stand trial. Taylor, who reportedly has an intellectual disability, wasn’t considered a danger to himself or others, even though he admitted to shooting into a car in 2021. The state doesn’t have enough staff to handle 800 open beds in four state mental facilities, which have a total of 3,500 licensed psychiatric beds. The law could cost the state more than $2 million in staff and supplies if the number of new admissions exceeds the state’s ability to house them, according to a state financial analysis of the legislation.