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.
Indiana General Assembly
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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.
Indiana officials consider ridding of handgun carry licenses
Indiana police officials say a proposal to eliminate the state's handgun carry license requirement for civilians could result in a loss of revenue.
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.
Legislators begin discussions on constitutional carry in Indiana
Legislators heard testimony for five hours Tuesday on whether Indiana should do away with the requirement for people to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun in public.
Study committees looking at civil forfeiture, constitutional carry
With a little more than four months until the start of the 2018 Indiana General Assembly, lawmakers are back to work to consider two high-profile issues being closely watched by law enforcement and prosecutors throughout the state: civil forfeiture and constitutional carry — the proposition that people should be able to carry handguns without a license.
Study committee to begin constitutional carry discussions Tuesday
Indiana lawmakers will return to the Statehouse Tuesday for the first of three discussions about one of the most controversial issues being considered by a summer study committee this year – constitutional carry, or the belief that a person should be able to carry a handgun without a license.
Alcohol commission begins work, looks at retail permits
The Statehouse will again be talking liquor as the Indiana Alcohol Code Revision Commission holds its first hearing Tuesday.
Indiana Black Legislative Caucus calling for state hate crime law
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus is renouncing the racial hatred and violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend and renewing its push for hate crime legislation in the state.
Legislature gives Supreme Court bump in funding
Court technology and several other court programs got a boost in the latest state biennial budget, including an additional $5.9 million to fund, in part, key initiatives for Hoosiers, such as court appointed special advocate programs.
Study committee to discuss civil forfeiture, indigent defense
Indiana lawmakers are preparing to return to the statehouse and consider legal issues such as civil forfeiture and indigent defense services when the Interim Study Committee on Courts and the Judiciary meets for the first time next week.
Central Indiana county debates continuing needle exchange
Officials in Madison County are divided over whether to continue a program that provides clean needles to intravenous drug users.
Indiana appeals ruling blocking part of abortion law
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said Friday he will appeal a federal judge’s ruling that blocks parts of a new state law that would make it tougher for girls under age 18 to get an abortion without their parents’ knowledge.
Ex-lawmaker Gard to chair Alcohol Code Revision Commission
Former Indiana State Sen. Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield, has been tapped to lead a review of the state’s alcohol laws, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long announced Tuesday.
Influential lawmaker Kenley retiring from Indiana Senate
State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, on Wednesday announced that he will retire on Sept. 30 after serving Senate District 20 since 1992.
Sheriff starts group to deal with overcrowded county jails
An Indiana sheriff says state lawmakers must address the issue of overcrowded and understaffed county jails.
New laws for 2017
Indiana’s legislators passed more than250 new laws on topics including e-liquid reform, inheritance tax repeals, and overhaul of uniform business organization laws.
Rewrite of business organization laws provides uniformity, clarity
All it took to simplify Indiana’s business organization laws was a 149-page bill.
Treatment seen as antidote for opioid crisis
The Indiana Legislature approved several measures to expand recovery programs and prevent spread of opioid epidemic.
Judge to hear challenge to new Indiana abortion restrictions
A federal judge is set to hear arguments in a lawsuit seeking to block a new Indiana law that makes it tougher for girls under age 18 to get an abortion without their parents’ knowledge. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky say portions of the new law are unconstitutional.