Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-5-215: Requirements - Housing of children under 16 years of age

(a) Children sixteen (16) years of age or older who have been committed to the department for a determinate period of time and are housed in a hardware secure residential facility or youth development center, shall be housed separately from children less than sixteen (16) years of age.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the department may house children less than sixteen (16) years of age with determinately committed children sixteen (16) years of age or older in applicable facilities if the department deems it necessary for the safety and well-being of the children less than sixteen (16) years of age, or to otherwise comply with the requirements of § 37-5-214 .