Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to decline a request to use its rulemaking authority to order the release of inmates vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.
Legislation designed to bring uniformity to judges’ indigency determinations is continuing to move through the Indiana Statehouse without opposition.
Across Indiana, lawyers say judges in different counties often take different approaches to making an indigency determination. That’s led to what some call “justice by geography” — that is, a person facing charges might be deemed indigent in one county, but the same person facing the same charges in another county might be found to have the ability to pay. A Senate bill seeks a statewide standard.
Despite unanimous opposition from nearly all of the organizations and individuals who testified, a bill that would allow the attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor over certain cases that a local prosecutor declines to prosecute has advanced out of an Indiana Senate committee.
A bill that proponents say would show legislative leadership in efforts to end jail overcrowding by issuing summonses to appear to misdemeanor defendants has advanced out of an Indiana House committee.
The Indiana Supreme Court in December selected Amy Karozos to succeed Indiana Public Defender Stephen Owens, who retired at the end of 2019. “It’s nice to be back,” said Karozos, who began her four-year term Jan. 13.
A bill that would remake a key component of Indiana’s criminal code overhaul sailed through the House of Representatives on Tuesday with the author saying the measure will improve the efficiency of “one of the best things” that was included in the reform of the state’s criminal and sentencing statutes.
Indiana’s new state public defender was officially appointed Monday with an order from the Indiana Supreme Court. Amy E. Karozos will begin her four-year term as state public defender Jan. 13.
The Indiana Supreme Court has named Amy Karozos as Indiana’s next state public defender, according to a Friday announcement from the high court. Karozos, currently a Marion County public defender in the juvenile division, has previously served as a project director for the Indiana Public Defender Council.
Stakeholders from around Indiana shared experiences and expectations regarding pretrial release reform as the entire state moves toward a system less reliant on cash bail beginning in January.
Across Indiana, 44 local jails are currently at capacity. But if half of all pretrial detainees were released, that number would fall to 11. A key lawmaker used that statistic Friday to demonstrate the possible benefits in Indiana’s efforts to release low-level, low-risk offenders as an alternative to cash bail.
In the middle of what likely was chaos on a spring day in 1971, Norman Lefstein sat down and calmly wrote a petition for habeas corpus.
Advocates say alternatives to detention are benefiting kids, and Indiana is in line with statistics showing that across the country, youth incarceration and juvenile crime are declining.
Study committees for the 2019 interim period have been approved by Indiana’s Legislative Council and will address dozens of issues for review in the coming months, including several legal-focused topics.
In the 2½ years since the Sixth Amendment Center released a report strongly condemning indigent criminal defense in Indiana, public defenders have pressed for reforms. Now, those efforts slowly are beginning to bear fruit as the Indiana General Assembly takes action on reform legislation.
Concerns surrounding the way Indiana adjudicates and rehabilitates its juvenile offenders has resulted in the proposal of a summer interim committee to address how adequately the juvenile justice system is governed.
Leaders of state and national criminal justice organizations are declaring their support for the Indiana Public Defender Commission’s reform initiative, which the commission is presenting to the Indiana General Assembly this year in an effort to secure additional funds to expand and improve indigent defense services statewide.
A Senate bill that would allow the Indiana Public Defender Commission to create guidelines for a multi-county public defender’s office will be heard by a committee Tuesday.
The Indiana legal community will honor its top public defender, Larry Landis, this week for his contributions in the courtroom, the Statehouse and the classroom. A special dinner for Landis will be held beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Indiana Landmarks Center.
Capital cases are entering what one judge calls uncharted territory, faced with determining whether an accused killer is entitled to court-appointed counsel of his choice or must be represented by a lawyer certified to defend death penalty cases.