COA affirms juvenile’s reckless homicide, gun possession convictions
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a LaPorte County juvenile’s sentence and conviction after he admitted to accidentally shooting and killing a friend.
Juvenile justice
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Indiana Supreme Court reduces 138-year sentence for man convicted as a juvenile
A Delaware County man sentenced to more than 100 years for a crime he committed as a 17-year-old was granted a new sentence after the Indiana Supreme Court found “two major shifts in the law” provide the opportunity to reconsider sentences that were “manifestly unreasonable.”
State high court arguments focus on parental presence at teen’s trial
The Indiana Supreme Court heard what one justice called an “interesting argument” in a case of first impression Thursday morning, considering whether a juvenile’s mother’s presence was essential to his defense when he was tried as an adult.
Greenwood boy, 16, faces murder charge in shooting that killed 1
A 16-year-old suburban Indianapolis boy has been charged as an adult in the fatal shooting of another teen who witnesses told police he had planned to engage in a fist fight.
SCOTUS to hear case about juvenile life sentences
The United States Supreme Court is to hear arguments in a case that could put the brakes on what has been a gradual move toward more leniency for children who are convicted of murder.
SCOTUS rejects Indiana sword fight killer’s appeal, 4 other Hoosier cases
The United States Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from an Indiana man convicted of killing his great-uncle in a 2009 sword fight that also took the life of the man’s grandmother. The case is one of five Indiana criminal, juvenile justice or post-conviction cases denied certiorari Monday by the high court.
Justices to hear case of first impression involving teen’s attempted murder conviction
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear a case of first impression involving a teen’s attempted murder conviction. The case previously divided an appellate panel that reversed the conviction based on the exclusion of the 15-year-old defendant’s mother from the courtroom.
Lafayette girl, 17, charged in 2 killings tied to attempted robbery
A 17-year-old Lafayette girl has been charged in the fatal shootings of a pizza delivery driver and her boyfriend, who the delivery driver shot to death during an attempted robbery, authorities said.
Justices: Juvenile courts lack jurisdiction to waive those who age out
Juvenile courts’ jurisdiction to waive minors to adult court ends when the juvenile reaches the age of 18 or 21, depending on the nature of the case, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, reinforcing bright-line statutory jurisdiction in dismissing a pair of cases alleging child molestation.
30-year sentence affirmed for teen linked to killing of IU doctor, educator
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a young adult’s decades-long sentence for felony burglary convictions that stemmed from several residential break-ins he committed as a teen, finding that his sentence is not inappropriate.
Tippecanoe Co. teen convicted in December shooting outside Lafayette mall
A 17-year-old boy who police said fired three shots at another teen outside a northwestern Indiana mall has been convicted in the December shooting.
Report: Indiana public defender caseload standards likely too high
Caseload standards imposed by the Indiana Public Defender Commission are likely higher than the caseloads public defenders should carry, meaning current practices do not give public defenders sufficient time to provide effective representation.
Justices to hear sentencing, delinquency, tax cases this week
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear three oral arguments via videoconference this Thursday, considering topics including sentencing, a tax sale and a delinquent’s possession of a firearm.
A gift in tough times: Juvenile probation departments deliver for young clients, families
Chief probation officer Christine Kerl and her team from the juvenile division of the Marion Superior Court Probation Department fanned out to Dollar Tree stores across Indianapolis earlier this spring and loaded their carts with items for families to enjoy together during these trying and tiring times.
Teen’s attempted murder reversal splits COA in first-impression case
Is the parent of a juvenile defendant waived to adult court “essential” to the presentation of that juvenile’s defense? The majority of a split Indiana Court of Appeals panel concluded the answer to that question was yes, despite a dissenting judge’s opinion.
Reversal: Court must determine whether mother can pay $11K in delinquency costs
A juvenile delinquent and her mother successfully appealed an order requiring that they pay more than $11,000 for secure detention costs after an appellate panel found no inquires were ever made concerning the mother’s ability to pay.
Justices affirm denied motion to dismiss in TPR dispute
A unanimous Indiana Supreme Court has affirmed the denial of a mother’s motion to dismiss her termination of parental rights petition after finding she wasn’t entitled to a dismissal under the circumstances.
COA: court can send juvenile to DOC for probation violation
In an unsuccessful challenge to a trial court’s authority to send him to the Indiana Department of Correction, a Hendricks County juvenile learned the juvenile justice system gives courts wider latitude because the goal is to rehabilitate the offending youth.
After controversy, juvenile justice review effort begins
In the middle of the General Assembly’s 2020 session, as youth advocates were fighting proposed legislation that would have allowed preteens to be charged as adults for certain crimes, the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana took a step toward comprehensive juvenile justice reform.
Tougher Indiana law on under-18 marriages clears Statehouse
Anyone younger than 18 will need a judge’s permission to get married in Indiana under a law change approved by state legislators. The measure endorsed almost unanimously by lawmakers would repeal the state’s current law that allows those as young as 15 to marry if they have parental consent.