Man sentenced to 22 years in death of Indiana infant girl
An Indiana judge sentenced a man to 22 years in prison on Friday, accepting the terms of a plea agreement in the death of a five-month-old girl.
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Senate launches group to examine embattled US prison system
The U.S. Senate is launching a bipartisan working group of lawmakers to scrutinize conditions within the Bureau of Prisons following reporting by The Associated Press that uncovered widespread corruption and abuse in federal prisons.
Southern District denies prisoner’s compassionate release request prompted by COVID-19 concerns
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana denied Thursday a prisoner’s request for compassionate release based on a fear of contracting COVID-19, finding no extraordinary and compelling reasons to reduce his sentence.
Indiana lawmakers eye returning to more prison sentences
A big jump in Indiana county jail overcrowding has state lawmakers looking to partially roll back a nearly decade-old criminal sentencing overhaul and let judges send more people convicted of low-level felonies into state prisons.
DOJ says inmates on home confinement can stay out of prison
The Justice Department on Tuesday reversed its own legal opinion and said it would allow federal inmates released on home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic to stay out of prison.
Inmates seeking COVID compassionate release face higher hurdle with 7th Circuit ruling
Since March 2020, attorney Kathryn DiNardo has taken up dozens of cases through the Indiana Federal Community Defenders from inmates hoping to be released early because of the pandemic. Those cases are but a drop in the bucket of inmates who have applied for compassionate release, and a July ruling from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has seemingly further dwindled their chances of success.
Inmate awarded habeas relief for lack of evidence in prison disciplinary action
A prisoner accused of bringing heroin into a correctional facility has been granted habeas relief after the United States District Court of the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, found the defense failed to provide evidence he committed the crime.
Woman’s early release in deadly Rochester school bus crash denied
A judge on Monday blocked the early prison release of a woman convicted in a 2018 crash that killed three siblings who were crossing a rural northern Indiana highway to board a school bus.
Northern District Court offering training on prisoner civil rights litigation
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana will host a training session for attorneys on prisoner civil rights litigation on Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. EST via Zoom.
Monroe Co. couple sentenced to federal prison for child sexual exploitation
A Monroe County husband and wife have each been sentenced to federal prison following their convictions for sexual exploitation of five children in their care.
Workers at federal prisons are committing some of the crimes
More than 100 federal prison workers have been arrested, convicted or sentenced for crimes since the start of 2019, including a warden indicted for sexual abuse, an associate warden charged with murder, guards taking cash to smuggle drugs and weapons, and supervisors stealing property such as tires and tractors.
Man jailed after crashing through Indiana State Prison gate
A motorist who crashed through the Indiana State Prison’s main gate has been charged with drunken driving and criminal trespass, state police said.
7th Circuit: Prisoner ineligible for relief due to COVID-19 vaccination
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the denial of relief to a man convicted of child pornography crimes, finding that because he is vaccinated against COVID-19, he is ineligible for relief on remand for extraordinary and compelling reasons.
US prisons face staff shortages as officers quit amid COVID
Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. But the coronavirus pandemic — and its impact on the labor market — has pushed many corrections systems into crisis.
New Indiana archives building planned at former prison site
Indiana officials plan to build a $35 million state archives facility on Indianapolis’ near-east side after a yearslong search for a new site to house the state’s vast collection of historical records. The site was formerly home to the Indiana Women’s Prison.
Dylann Roof’s request to reconsider recusal is denied
Dylann Roof’s chances for a new appellate hearing continue to dwindle, with a court refusing to reconsider recusing itself from his appeal over his death sentence and conviction in the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation.
Inmate wins habeas relief from disciplinary sanction
A prisoner has been granted habeas relief from a disciplinary decision against him after the Northern Indiana District Court found he was denied the right to present evidence in his case.
Justice Department reviewing policies on transgender inmates
The Justice Department is reviewing its policies on housing transgender inmates in the federal prison system after protections for transgender prisoners were rolled back in the Trump administration.
2nd inmate in 2 weeks killed at Terre Haute federal prison
An inmate who was transferred to one of the most secure federal prison facilities in the U.S. was stabbed to death within hours of arriving, raising fresh questions about the government’s ability to keep prisoners safe amid severe understaffing and a myriad of crises plaguing the federal prison system.
2 Indiana inmates charged in fatal attack on fellow Pendleton inmate
Two prison inmates have been charged with murder in the fatal beating and stabbing of a fellow inmate last year at a central Indiana prison.