A former Delaware County Deputy Prosecutor has had his law license suspended for 120 days after being found guilty of professional misconduct which occurred between 1995 and 2006. The prosecutor’s misconduct involved his negotiating criminal cases all while handling criminal forfeitures, of which he kept around 25% of the money collected. [Read more…]
Supreme Court Rules Fleeing From Police As a “Violent” Crime
The Supreme Court issued a ruling this week in a case out of Indiana. At question was whether fleeing from the police was considered a violent felony and therefore could be used to sentence a defendant under the Armed Career Criminal Act. [Read more…]
Indiana Crime Lab Problems Reach Back to At Least 2004
The state crime toxicology lab is under fire, as we reported last month. And as more and more information about the problems become available, it’s obvious the lab had been struggling for many years. The Indianapolis Star reports this week that 2,000 emails dated from as early as 2003 reveal errors and also reveal a lab supervisor who was trying to speak up, trying to get help for the lab. [Read more…]
Indiana Toxicology Crime Lab Under Fire
In 2008, a new director was named to the Indiana State Department of Toxicology. Immediately Michael Wagner noticed problems. He was the first forensic toxicologist to head the department in more than a decade and this could have been the reason problems were so apparent to him. Soon after taking office he decided to do an audit and since then the issue has been coming to a head. [Read more…]
Indiana Sentencing Reform Under Attack
The sentencing reform package reported on last month is under attack by a group of Indiana prosecutors. The Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys has voted to oppose the progressive changes that would save the state over $1 billion in coming years, this despite support for the legislation coming from both sides of the political fence and the public at large. [Read more…]
Indiana Lawmakers Eye Sentencing Reform
A study commissioned by the state and done by the Pew Center on the States and the Council of State Governments made some progressive recommendations on the Indiana criminal justice and prison systems. Just a few weeks ago, Governor Mitch Daniels signaled his support for the prospective changes and now everyone waits for lawmakers to make some of the recommendations as reality. [Read more…]
The Cost of a Jail Stay in Indiana
Tippecanoe County Jail, like most others across Indiana and even across the country are forced to deal creatively with funding and overcrowding on a daily basis. Budget crunches only serve to push jail administrators to get even more innovative with where they spend and where they save. [Read more…]
Indiana Prison Costs Continue Climb
While many states have begun to let up on the “get tough on crime” attitude that has cost millions and done little to curb criminal behavior, Indiana continues to lock people up and throw away the key—and the budget reflects this. From 2000 to 2008 corrections costs rose 76% to $679 million. Within 10 years that cost is estimated to reach $1 billion if something isn’t done to curtail it. [Read more…]
Local Police Bust Counterfeit Ring
Police in Floyd County, working with the state police and U.S. Secret Service have arrested five people so far in a counterfeit ring responsible for making and passing thousands of dollars in fake cash. Members of the community are said to be surprised that three of the five arrested were passing the fake bills to businesses they frequented and people they knew personally. [Read more…]
South Bend City Settles Police Brutality Suit
A 14 year old boy was viciously assaulted in what amounted to little more than a misunderstanding in 2005. The city of South Bend settled a lawsuit filed by the boy and his father for $150,000 this week, no doubt a drop in the bucket for the trauma suffered by this child. [Read more…]