Indiana legislative session at halftime: what lives or died
Indiana lawmakers have reached halftime in this year’s legislative session, which has been marked more by plans deferred and legislation killed than major accomplishments.
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Articles
Senate advances CBD legalization bill
Hoosiers are one step closer to having unrestricted access to cannabidiol, or CBD, oil after the Indiana Senate passed a bill that would allow CBD use by all Indiana residents, not just those with certain illnesses.
Senate joins House in passing Indiana cannabis oil bill
The Indiana Legislature is poised to allow anyone to purchase and use a cannabis-derived extract believed to have therapeutic benefits, following a key vote by the state Senate on Monday.
Hate crime bill dies in Senate committee
Hate crime legislation has again failed in the Indiana Statehouse after Senate Republicans could not reach a consensus on what the bill should include.
Senate panel to take up hate crimes bill — again
An Indiana Senate committee will take up a bill targeting hate crimes — again.
Indianapolis to pay $4.2M for land to build justice center
The city of Indianapolis has taken a major step toward building the $572 million criminal justice center in the Twin-Aire neighborhood where the Citizens Energy coke plant once stood.
ACLU poll finds wide support for prosecutorial reform
Likely voters overwhelmingly support prosecutors who will work to end mass incarceration, alternatives to prison and reducing racial bias, according to polling results released Tuesday.
Trump’s tweet adds to allies’ worries about legal problems
The shifting explanations for why President Donald Trump fired national security adviser Michael Flynn have revived questions about whether the president may have obstructed an ongoing investigation of potential contacts between his campaign and Russia.
Review: Program to help offenders with mental health, addiction issues working
A two-year-old state program to improve recovery and reduce recidivism of felony offenders who have drug and alcohol addictions or mental health issues has shown positive initial results, according to a review of the program.
Human trafficking focus of Indianapolis presentation
The Community Justice Academy of the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will host an event tonight in Indianapolis updating the community on the local fight against human trafficking.
Alabama inmate defiant before his execution for killing cop
A convicted cop killer who sued Alabama over its lethal injection method was put to death, but not before he cursed at the state and said: “I hate you.”
Committee to continue discussions on impact of criminal code reform
Indiana lawmakers will continue to learn more about the effect criminal code reform has had on the state’s criminal justice system when the Interim Study Committee on Corrections and Criminal Code meets for its third meeting this week.
Report: Sentencing overhaul hasn’t meant big Indiana savings
A report to Indiana lawmakers shows the state hasn't seen significant savings from an overhaul of criminal sentencing laws aimed at sending fewer people convicted of nonviolent crimes to prison.
Criminal code reform packs jails with Level 6 felony inmates
Nearly half the people housed in Indiana jails were there on a low-level felony charge, and in some counties, this population by itself exceeded the capacity of local jails.
Study committees to look at cost savings for DOC, indigent defense services
Indiana lawmakers will continue their discussions about various topics affecting the legal profession and law enforcement when two interim study committees reconvene next week.
Sheriff: Prisoners who once went to state creating problems
A sheriff says jail disturbances like one that injured three officers have become more common now that counties are housing prisoners that formerly went to the Indiana Department of Correction.
Criminal code reform review: Low-level felonies soar, jails feel brunt
The number of people serving time in local jails instead of the Department of Correction on low-level felony convictions rose 177 percent in the two years since Indiana’s criminal code reform took effect, and 28 percent more were people convicted of the new Level 6 felony compared to the prior Class D felony.
Indiana prosecutors call for law-and-order approach to fighting opioids
The Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Inc. is using the state’s opiate plan to fault the 3-year-old criminal code reform which emphasizes treatment over prolonged incarceration.
Senate Judiciary Committee sends 3 issues to study committee
The effect that revisions to Indiana’s Criminal Code are having on the population of county jails is now a topic up for further legislative review after the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee passed a resolution to recommend the issue for a summer study committee.
Public-private partnership proposed for Indy justice center
Marion County’s proposed criminal justice center should be financed through a public-private partnership, the task force studying the proposal announced Friday.