Issue 07 of 12
Crime, policing and the death penalty
Q1Criminal prosecution
Blackburn
Advocates stricter enforcement and says she will remove certain district attorneys she considers insufficiently aggressive.
Whether a governor has unilateral authority to remove a district attorney is not established.
Green
Emphasizes criminal justice reform, community safety and addressing contributing social conditions.
Q2Death penalty
Blackburn
Supports accelerating executions and has endorsed the electric chair as an execution method.
Green
Proposes halting executions.
Q3Private prisons
Blackburn
No 2026 gubernatorial position identified from sources reviewed.
Green
Proposes giving CoreCivic formal notice that the state will not renew its private-prison contracts.
Notice of nonrenewal, not an immediate termination.
Q4Police funding
Blackburn
Supports fully funding law enforcement.
Green
Also supports funding law enforcement, with additional emphasis on mental healthcare and prevention.
Q5National Guard in Memphis
Blackburn
No 2026 gubernatorial position identified from sources reviewed.
Green
Explicitly opposes continuing the National Guard deployment in Memphis.
Sources for this issue
- Blackburn: keeping our communities safe (2026)
- Jerri Green for Governor: policy platform (2026)
- Nashville Banner 30-issue comparison (Chattanooga Times Free Press republication) (2026-09-08)
Archived copies of every source as read on 2026-10-14 are kept for the corrections record. All sources.