Getting a Job After Prison in Tennessee

There is one question that determines whether you get hired. Not the application. Not the background check. Not what the charge was or how long you were inside.

The question is this: why you, over the thirty other people I could hire who don't have a criminal record?

If you walk in without a ready answer, you will not get the job. The interviewer can see the pause the moment you don't have something prepared, and once they see it, the room shifts against you. What you need is an answer practiced enough to say with confidence and humility at the same time.

The answer that works is this:

Everybody deserves a second chance. Somebody is going to give me one. And they are going to get the best employee they ever had, because I am never, ever going to do something that sends me back to prison.

Say it clean. Say it without flinching. It makes no excuses, asks for no sympathy, and tells the employer the one thing they actually need to know: you have more reason to perform than anyone else in that stack.

Then live it. The light is on you from the first day. Use it. Work twice as hard as the person next to you. Show up earlier, stay later, and make that scrutiny your shining light, not a shadow. The person standing next to you does not have anyone watching them that closely. You do. That is the advantage if you decide to use it.

What the Law in Tennessee Says About Your Record

Tennessee's ban the box law (Senate Bill 2440, 2016) applies to public employers only. State agencies and public employers cannot ask criminal history questions on initial job applications; inquiry is permitted after the initial application screening. Local policies in Chattanooga, Memphis, Nashville, Hamilton County, and Shelby County also restrict public sector hiring -- but all of these, like the state law, apply only to government employment.

Private employers in Tennessee face no statewide timing restriction. A private company can ask about criminal history on the initial application with no state-mandated review process. EEOC guidance applies statewide and advises all employers to assess criminal records in relation to the specific job rather than applying blanket exclusions.

Federal FCRA protections apply statewide. Non-conviction records older than seven years cannot appear on consumer reporting agency background checks for most positions.

Tennessee has a meaningful expungement law that has been expanded over time. Expungement in Tennessee means records are erased and destroyed. Non-conviction records (dismissed charges, nolle prosequi, not guilty verdicts) are expunged for free -- when a jury or judge returns a not guilty verdict, the presiding judge is required to ask whether the acquitted person wants their records expunged immediately. For convictions: misdemeanor and Class E felony convictions are eligible for expungement five years after sentence completion; Class C and D felony convictions are eligible ten years after sentence completion (limited to no more than two total convictions, only one of which may be a felony). Filing fee is up to $100, with a fee waiver available for those who cannot afford it. The TBI issues a certificate of eligibility before the court enters an expungement order. Tennessee's expungement statutes were reorganized in 2025.

Building the Answer Before You Need It

In Tennessee, your answer in the interview is what carries you with private employers. The law gives no application-stage protection there. So you have to walk in ready.

The Tennessee Office of Reentry (TOOR) was created in July 2021 by Governor Bill Lee and is intentionally housed within the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development -- not within the corrections department. That choice was deliberate: TOOR can build trust with returning citizens and employers in a way that a corrections agency cannot. The LEAP Program (Leveraging Education and Advancement for the Population) sends TOOR Reintegration Specialists directly into TDOC facilities before release to deliver career-building and job-readiness training, connect participants to workforce resources, and prepare them for community reintegration. TOOR also administers a $1.2 million Community Reentry Reinvestment Grant (CRRG) supporting community-based organizations connecting returning citizens to employment, education, and services.

Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) offers reentry grants specifically for formerly incarcerated individuals covering the cost of technical training programs, including welding and other skilled trades.

Persevere, operating in Nashville and Memphis, provides tech skills training in data management, AI, and digital careers for returning citizens. Program graduates have secured employment with companies including Quanta.

Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry (TPOM) operates transitional housing in Nashville (men's and women's facilities) and Memphis (men's facility in partnership with HopeWorks).

Start with what you did inside. Any TDOC vocational training, GED program, work assignment, or program completion is content, not a gap. TCAT reentry grants can help you add a formal credential after release. Then connect everything to what this employer specifically needs.

Tennessee's economy runs on automotive manufacturing (Volkswagen in Chattanooga, GM in Spring Hill, Ford's BlueOval City near Memphis), healthcare, logistics, music and entertainment, and agriculture. Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville are the primary labor markets. Tennessee's manufacturing sector has expanded significantly in recent years, creating persistent demand for skilled production workers. Whatever you are applying for, make the answer specific to what that employer needs.

Practice it out loud. Until the hesitation is completely gone. The pause is what loses the room. Eliminate it before you sit down.

Companies in Tennessee That Hire People with Criminal Records

Tennessee's economy, anchored by Nashville and Memphis with significant manufacturing across Chattanooga, Spring Hill, and the mid-state, creates consistent demand across sectors.

Volkswagen Group of America (Chattanooga), General Motors (Spring Hill), Ford BlueOval City (Stanton/Haywood County), and major automotive suppliers hire in production, quality, and logistics. Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, and major food service operators have extensive Tennessee operations and national fair chance commitments. Healthcare systems including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, HCA Healthcare, and Methodist Le Bonheur hire in support and entry-level roles. Fedex's global headquarters and major hub are in Memphis, creating consistent logistics and operations demand. Construction contractors statewide face persistent labor shortages. Quanta Services is a confirmed Tennessee employer of Persevere tech training graduates.

TOOR and TCAT connect returning citizens directly to employer networks statewide.

Jobs4TN.gov lists current job openings across Tennessee including positions from employers open to second chance hiring. American Job Centers statewide provide WOTC coordination and employer connections.

Staffing agencies across Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville are the most accessible first step, placing workers in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare support with more flexibility than direct hire.

For the full national list of companies with public fair chance commitments, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.

The Tax Credit Employers Get for Hiring You

Here is the closing argument for every conversation with an employer on the fence.

There is a federal program called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC. When an employer hires someone from a qualifying group, including individuals recently released from prison, the employer may receive a significant federal tax credit per qualifying hire. That is not charity. It is a business incentive the federal government created specifically to make hiring returning citizens financially advantageous.

You are not asking anyone to take a risk on you. You are telling them your hire comes with a tax benefit attached that none of the other thirty applicants can offer. Say it at the end of the interview, after you have made your case: I qualify for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Hiring me may put money back in your business. And I will give you the best work you have ever gotten from a new hire, because I have too much to lose to give you anything less.

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development American Job Centers coordinate WOTC certification and Federal Bonding access for employers statewide.

Where to Get Help in Tennessee

Tennessee Office of Reentry (TOOR, tn.gov/workforce/reentrytn) is Tennessee's statewide reentry employment hub, housed within the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. LEAP Program sends reintegration specialists into TDOC facilities before release. TNWorkReady.com provides an overview of free services. American Job Centers across Tennessee provide post-release employment support.

Jobs4TN.gov is Tennessee's statewide job search engine. American Job Centers statewide provide job search assistance, career counseling, training referrals, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access.

Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT, tcat.edu) offers reentry grants for formerly incarcerated individuals covering technical training costs across campuses statewide.

Persevere (perseverenow.org) operates in Nashville and Memphis providing tech career training for returning citizens, including data management and AI skills, with employer connections.

Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry (TPOM, tpom.org) operates transitional housing in Nashville and Memphis approved by TDOC.

West Tennessee Legal Services (wtls.org) provides free legal assistance including expungement guidance for West Tennessee residents.

Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (tals.org) coordinates free legal help statewide including expungement and reentry legal issues.

Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (tncourts.gov/expungements) provides expungement eligibility information and forms.

The Federal Bonding Program, coordinated through Tennessee American Job Centers, provides free fidelity bonding to employers who hire returning citizens.