Indianapolis man gets 46 months for hate crime at neighbor
An Indianapolis man was sentenced to nearly four years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges for threatening a Black neighbor, prosecutors said.
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Prison break: 29 inmates escape federal lockups in 18 months
Over the past 18 months, 29 prisoners have escaped from federal lockups across the U.S. — and nearly half still have not been caught. At some of the institutions, doors are left unlocked, security cameras are broken and officials sometimes don’t notice an inmate is missing for hours.
Pendleton inmate represents himself in lengthy court battle
An inmate at the Pendleton Correctional Facility represented himself against a former guard for use of excessive force in a legal battle that lasted for nearly six years before culminating in March in an in-person bench trial and an award of $35,000.
Indiana sees big cost jump with new prison medical contract
Indiana could pay about 50% more a year for prison medical services with a new contractor picked by state officials.
Ponzi schemer Cochran escalates fight for early release on COVID grounds
Jim Cochran, the former Indianapolis businessman serving a 25-year prison term for his role in the massive Fair Finance Ponzi scheme, is asking a Chicago appeals court for early release on the grounds that his health problems could make contracting COVID-19 lethal and that he has undergone a religious conversion that no longer makes him a risk to society.
‘Landmark’ juvenile justice bill awaiting governor’s signature
Indiana’s juvenile justice bill, which will implement key reforms and enable the state to retain federal funding, is headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk after the Senate unanimously concurred on the amended legislation earlier this week.
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic gets $1M grant from Lilly Endowment
Indianapolis-based Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic has been awarded a grant of just over $1 million from Lilly Endowment’s Enhancing Opportunity Initiative, allowing the legal aid provider to bolster its assistance to individuals who are reentering society after being incarcerated.
AP source: Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff dies in prison
Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died in a federal prison early Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
Man convicted of killing IU student Behrman denied SCOTUS review
The man convicted in the murder of Indiana University student Jill Behrman more than 20 years ago will remain in prison after the United States Supreme Court denied cert in his habeas case. The justices denied John Myers’ petition for writ of certiorari Monday.
Governor signs post-release mental health treatment bill
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday signed into law a bill that will provide extra time for offenders to secure mental health treatment upon their release from the Indiana Department of Correction.
Murder convictions ineligible for expungement, appeals court rules
An Indiana trial court properly denied expungement to an out-of-state inmate convicted of murder in Indiana, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Druidism must be recognized in Department of Correction, judge rules
Druidism could soon become a formally recognized religion within the Indiana Department of Correction after a federal judge granted injunctive relief to a prisoner who claimed his religious rights were violated by the lack of communal Druid services in the DOC.
On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions
On federal death row in Terre Haute, prisoners fling notes on a string under each other’s cell doors and converse through interconnected air ducts. A top issue these days: whether President Joe Biden will halt executions, several told The Associated Press.
Post-release mental health treatment bill clears Legislature
A “simple bill” brought before the General Assembly that would patch a hole preventing some inmates from quickly receiving mental health treatment upon release is on the way to Gov. Eric Holcomb after passing both chambers without amendment or a vote in opposition.
Terre Haute man sentenced after student eats drug-laced candy
A Terre Haute man was sentence to a decade in prison in a case where a student at a local school became ill after eating drug-laced candy.
Report: Indiana tops U.S. in prison sentences of 50 years or longer
As part of a call by The Sentencing Project to abolish the mindset of locking people up and throwing away the key, Indiana is being highlighted as having the highest percentage of individuals in the nation who are serving 50 years or more in prison.
Juvenile justice reform bill heads to House with bipartisan support
The Indiana Senate passed a bill Wednesday that could save the state nearly $1 million in federal funding by prohibiting juveniles charged with crimes from being held in adult jails.
Indiana inmate accused of attacking guards, killing 1
One correction officer was killed and a second seriously injured after an alleged attack Sunday by a prison inmate, Indiana State Police said.
Executioners sanitized accounts of deaths in federal cases
Executioners who put 13 inmates to death in the last months of the Trump administration likened the process of dying by lethal injection to falling asleep and called gurneys “beds” and final breaths “snores.” The sworn accounts by executioners, which government filings cited as evidence the lethal injections were going smoothly, raise questions about whether officials misled courts to ensure the executions scheduled from July to mid-January were done before death penalty opponent Joe Biden became president.
Appeals court rejects bid to cut 120-year sentence in Gary double-slaying
A Gary man convicted of a 2003 double-murder failed to convince an appeals panel that his 120-year sentence should be reduced. The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected the arguments Wednesday.