Hello! I'm new to this board and have a question. I can't seem to find an answer anywhere so maybe someone can help. I was married and got divorced on the grounds of 'improper marital conduct'. He was abusive and in a lot of trouble with the law. I got pregnant. He was sent to prison right after the divorce. He got a sentence of 11 years. He hasn't saw our child at all and his family has nothing to do with her. She is 2 years old now. He has already been denied parole and I doubt he will get it. He has been moved twice already for getting in trouble. He has called me from illegal cell phones begging me for money. I finally stopped answering. I haven't spoke to him in almost a year now. When he called he was always begging for money instead of asking about our child.
I'm terrified that he will try to get visitation when he gets out. He is not stable. He was, and probably still is, into drugs. He is a convicted felon. He stole copper wire from walls of old buildings, stole checks from his grandfather and forged them to buy crack, he also has charges from hitting me. My boyfriend and I give her such a good life. He loves her and she knows him as daddy. I didn't even put her birth fathers name on the birth certificate. He hasn't tried to do it and I'm pretty sure he has access to resources in prison to do that if he wanted to. We are in Tennessee.
Does anyone know what I could do in order to keep him away when he does get out? Are there abandonment laws? I would be all for him being in her life if he turned himself around, but I just don't see it happening. He's using illegal cell phones, fighting and even got caught with drugs since he's been incarcerated. It would kill me to have my daughter around him knowing what he's capable of. It scares the shit out of me actually. I'm considering talking to a lawyer but since he isn't on the birth certificate is there even anything that can be done right now. I just don't want to stress about it til he gets out. I want to have plans for when he does get out.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!

) .
