The Senate Corrections & Criminal Law Committee heard Sens. Ruckelshaus and Glick’s SB 439 on bias crimes, making it an aggravating circumstance for the purposes of imposing a criminal sentence that the crime was committed with the intent to harm or intimidate an individual because of certain perceived or actual characteristics of the individual. The Committee amended the bill t … [Read more...] about Bias crimes
sentencing
Habitual offender requirements
The House Courts & Criminal Code Committee heard HB 1064 authored by Rep. Steuerwald and co-authored by Rep. Pierce on habitual offender requirements. The bill is meant to clarify legislative intent behind the amendments to I.C. § 35-50-2-8(c) that took effect in 2014 and provides that persons convicted of a new level 5 felony offense will qualify for sentencing as a habitual off … [Read more...] about Habitual offender requirements
Crimes involving adoption
The House Courts & Criminal Code Committee heard Rep. Olthoff’s HB 1513 on crimes involving adoption. The bill amends the definition of “advertisement” concerning unauthorized adoption advertising to include communications by any medium; increases, from $3,000 to $4,000, the allowable payment for certain costs and expenses with respect to an adoption. The bill also makes adoption … [Read more...] about Crimes involving adoption
Lifetime parole
The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard Sen. Zakas’ SB 38 on lifetime parole. The bill requires a sexually violent predator released on lifetime parole to be placed on 24 hour GPS monitoring even if funds have not been specifically appropriated to the Department of Correction for this purpose and requires the parole board to inform the superintendent of the D … [Read more...] about Lifetime parole
Various crimes
The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard Sen. Young’s SB 424 on various crimes. The bill provides the following: amends crime of strangulation to include application of pressure to a victim's torso, and increases the penalty to a Level 5 felony if it is knowingly committed against a pregnant woman creates an enhancement to obstruction of justice if a person i … [Read more...] about Various crimes