(a) Whenever an inmate dies in the penitentiary, the warden shall forthwith notify the commissioner of correction, if practicable, and summon at least one (1) licensed physician of the county of the prison to examine the body of the deceased, whose duty it is to attend and ascertain, as nearly as may be, the cause of death, and report the cause to the commissioner. The warden shall also notify the county medical examiner or the state chief medical examiner in accordance with title 38, chapter 7.(b) Disposition of the body must be consistent with the provisions for the disposition of dead bodies in accordance with title 68, chapter 4.Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 933, s 1, eff. 4/29/2022.Code 1858, §§ 5529, 5530; impl. am. Acts 1895 (Ex. Sess.), ch. 7, § 21; impl. am. Acts 1897, ch. 125, § 1; impl. am. Acts 1899, ch. 206; impl. am. Acts 1915, ch. 20, § 9; Shan., §§ 7548, 7549; impl. am. Acts 1919, ch. 39, §§ 1, 2; impl. am. Acts 1923, ch. 7, § 42; Code 1932, §§ 12147, 12148; impl. am. Acts 1955, ch. 102; 1972, ch. 576, § 19; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), §§ 41-344, 41-345.
Tennessee Legal Code