Beginning January 2023, the Tennessee Department of Correction will require every person entering a TDOC prison to be screened by a full body scanner. The scanners will allow security staff to identify contraband being smuggled inside a person’s body.
TDOC says the body scanner screenings are safe and meet national health and safety standards. However, individuals with a pacemaker or in a wheelchair, children sixteen (16) years of age or younger, pregnant individuals or those who think they may be pregnant, will not be required to clear the body scanner.
Individuals with other mobility or physical conditions preventing the use of the body scanner will be required to undergo all other security measures and must produce documentation (doctor’s note, etc.) during subsequent visits.
Visitors must still abide by current security protocols. These include a pat-down or wand search, walking through a metal detector and allowing all belongings to pass through an x-ray machine.
Anyone attempting to introduce contraband into a correctional facility will be arrested and could face criminal prosecution.