TDOC Madison Release Scope
The Tennessee Department of Correction is a statewide prison and community-supervision system. It should not be described as a Madison County building. Official research found no TDOC state prison in Madison County, though District 60 has a supervision office in Jackson. A person sentenced from Madison County can be housed anywhere TDOC assigns within the state system, so county of conviction does not identify the prison that released the person.
TDOC’s Felony Offender Information Lookup, known as FOIL, covers people currently or formerly in TDOC custody or supervision. It may show incarcerated, probation, parole, or inactive status; an assigned location; offenses; sentence information; Release Eligibility Date; parole-hearing information; and release fields. That makes it the main public route for a Tennessee felony release. It does not cover every local misdemeanor or a short stay that remained solely in Madison County custody.
Search TDOC Release Records
The TDOC FOIL search accepts a name, TDOC or TOMIS number, or State ID. A name search includes last and first name controls with optional alias and race refinements, and the live form requires a CAPTCHA. An exact number is stronger than a name-only match. Every result should be opened and checked against all available identifiers.
- Choose name, TOMIS, or State ID search and enter the most exact identifier available.
- Complete the live CAPTCHA and review all returned people rather than choosing the first similar name.
- Open the detail and record the status, location, offenses, sentence entries, and any release information.
- Read Release Eligibility Date as an eligibility field, not a promised exit date.
- For a final historical discharge or missing field, request the underlying record from TDOC Records Management.
The official TDOC state-prison directory provides context for the statewide network, and the project manifest includes a successful image from that source.
The directory helps identify a state institution shown in FOIL. It is not a person search and should not be used to assume that Madison County residents stay near Jackson.
TDOC Release Search Fields
FOIL fields must be read with their exact labels. Parole means the person has left prison for community supervision but remains within the sentence. Probation is court-ordered community supervision and may follow split confinement. Inactive is not a complete explanation by itself. The detail or archived record must establish whether it reflects completion, expiration, or another nonactive state status.
| FOIL field | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Status | Incarcerated, parole, probation, or inactive within the TDOC felony system |
| Location | Current reported institution or supervision placement when displayed |
| Release Eligibility Date | Earliest parole-consideration calculation, not guaranteed release |
| Sentence and offense data | State entries that shape the calculation and must be matched to the judgment |
| Release information | Displayed state release fields, subject to timing and accuracy limits |
| Parole-hearing status | Proceeding information that does not by itself prove physical release |
A future Release Eligibility Date can change as credits are earned, lost, restored, or recalculated, and the Board may deny parole. Sentence expiration is a separate calculation. A parole grant may also come before physical release while plans and conditions are completed. The latest status and actual release field are needed before describing a TDOC release as complete.
Note: FOIL is a public index with timing limits, while the underlying TDOC discharge record is the stronger source for exact facts.
TDOC Archived Release Contact
TDOC provides an archived-record request route for older or more detailed custody information. The request asks for the requester’s contact information and reason, the full offender name, TOMIS number, date of birth, Social Security number if known, and a clear description of the record. Sensitive material may be withheld. Charges may apply, and TDOC instructs requesters not to send payment with the initial request.
TDOC Records Management
Rachel Jackson Building, 2nd Floor
320 Sixth Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243-0465
Archive questions: 615-253-8079
Online route: TDOC Archived Record Request
For release confirmation, ask for custody history, the release authorization or certificate, actual release date and type, sentence calculation and expiration, and an existing identification photo only when needed. A focused request is more useful than asking for an entire file. The official TDOC archived-record page is also the source for the matching manifest image below.
The captured page identifies the state records route. It supplements FOIL when a public detail does not show the full discharge history or exact release document.
TDOC Madison Supervision Records
The Tennessee Board of Parole decides parole, while TDOC Community Supervision performs field supervision for people on parole and probation. Madison County falls within TDOC District 60 in Jackson. The live field-office directory should be checked before a visit because the reviewed state sources differed on part of the mailing information. The research-supported telephone is 731-984-9802.
FOIL is the person-specific public starting point. A parole status means release from prison under Board conditions. It is not sentence completion. A probation status generally reflects a court order. To confirm the legal basis, match FOIL with the judgment or Board record. To confirm exact physical release, use the TDOC release record. Office staff may be able to address reporting or assignment questions, though confidential supervision details may not be disclosed.
- Parole
- Conditional community release before sentence expiration under a Board decision.
- Probation
- Court-ordered community supervision, sometimes used with a suspended or split sentence.
- Discharge
- Completion or termination of the relevant correctional obligation as shown by the agency record.
- Release Eligibility Date
- The earliest parole-consideration calculation, not a promise of release.
Madison Transfers Into TDOC
The Madison County Sheriff’s custody taxonomy distinguishes people serving county sentences, awaiting trial, awaiting interlocal transfer, and awaiting transfer to state prison. That classification matters when a person leaves the Criminal Justice Complex or Penal Farm. A county departure marked as transfer to TDOC is not release into the community. The county destination field documents the handoff, and FOIL should show the state side after intake.
There can be a delay between MCSO’s movement and the public FOIL update. During that gap, use the Madison County records policy to ask MCSO for the receiving agency and transfer date rather than inferring release. Once a TDOC detail appears, use its reported location and status. The Criminal Justice Complex release page explains the local side of this transfer chain.
Note: County release time and state intake time are separate events, so a brief gap between records does not prove community release.
TDOC Release Versus Custody
An incarcerated status and state prison location indicate current TDOC custody. Parole and probation indicate community supervision rather than prison confinement. Inactive may be consistent with a former record, but its cause must be verified. A release date in a historical detail helps with the state event, though another local, federal, immigration, or supervision authority may still apply.
For a person whose only custody was Madison County jail, return to MCSO and the court. For a federal sentence, use BOP. For a documented immigration transfer, use ICE. VINE can add prompt notice across participating Tennessee agencies, but an alert does not replace the TDOC discharge record. Keeping each system label intact prevents a state release from being confused with a county bond-out or a federal custody change.
Older state records may need a two-part check. FOIL can identify the likely person and current or former status, while the archive supplies the source document behind a discharge. Use the same TOMIS number, date of birth, offense information, and sentence dates across both. If a court judgment conflicts with a calculated field, do not recalculate the sentence from public facts. Ask TDOC for the calculation and release authorization that were actually used.
Current custody should be read from the latest record. A former release does not prevent a later return, revocation, or new case. Likewise, an old prison location should not be repeated as current after FOIL changes. Record the lookup date, keep the exact label, and verify material changes with TDOC or the court that issued the controlling order.
The same discipline applies to county of conviction. The Madison County court record identifies the court link, but it does not prove a current place of confinement. FOIL’s location field and TDOC’s records control the state placement. When the status is parole or probation, District 60 may be relevant to reporting, while the Board or court record explains the legal authority. One county label cannot replace those separate state fields.