Articles

Judge threatens sanctions in DOC suit; attorneys claim honest mistakes

Two Indianapolis attorneys accused of filing false declarations on behalf of their state clients in an inmate’s excessive force lawsuit are facing federal court sanctions for the alleged misconduct, though the attorneys claim the issues giving rise to the court’s concerns were the result of honest mistakes.

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DOC deliberate indifference claim remanded to district court

Finding it is reasonable to infer that a former unit manager at the Putnamville Correctional Facility knew an inmate was in danger from gang violence but did nothing, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a grant of summary judgment and remanded the case to the Southern Indiana District Court.

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Judge strikes lethal injection secrecy law, says lawmakers ‘overstepped’

The Indiana Department of Correction has again lost a suit in which it argues to keep secret the drugs it would use in a lethal injection. The judge in the case extraordinarily outlined how the DOC, the governor’s office, and the Indiana General Assembly appeared to directly undermine her order that the department disclose the drugs it might use in a potential execution.

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‘No remorse’: Judge sends Noblesville teen shooter to juvenile detention

A 13-year-old boy has shown “no remorse” for shooting his teacher and a classmate at his Indianapolis-area school, and he will remain the responsibility of the state juvenile detention system until he is 18, an Indiana judge ruled Wednesday. Hamilton Circuit Judge Paul Felix rejected a request that the boy be sent to a private treatment facility after a May 25 shooting at Noblesville West Middle School.

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Indiana’s sheriffs push for more funding to house felons

Indiana’s sheriffs say they need more state money to cover the costs of holding low-level nonviolent felons in county jails. Indiana’s county jails currently get a $35 per-day payment for every Level 6 felon they house. But it’s been at least 30 years since that amount changed, according to the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association.

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Prison doctor, nurse must face inmate’s lawsuit

Two medical care providers at the Miami Correctional Facility have lost their bid to end an inmate’s Eight Amendment lawsuit after a district court judge found evidence to reasonably support the inference that the providers were deliberately indifferent to his excruciating foot pain.

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DOC wardship of juvenile delinquent affirmed

A 17-year-old adjudicated as a juvenile delinquent has failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn the Indiana Department of Correction’s wardship over him after failing to prove the case’s disposition constituted fundamental error. But the COA also urged courts to consider allowing juveniles to speak in such cases.

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Confiscated guitar leaves inmate with jailhouse blues

An inmate will not be reunited with a guitar he was allowed to purchase in prison after the Indiana Court of Appeals entered judgment for the Department of Correction on Wednesday. The appeals court found a policy adopted by DOC was not improper.

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Imprisoned Anderson attorney disbarred for theft from estates

An Anderson attorney currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for misappropriating hundreds of thousands in estate funds has been disbarred. Stephen Schuyler pleaded guilty to 15 counts last June and had been under an interim suspension issued by the Indiana Supreme Court.

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Holcomb to launch coding program for female inmates

Gov. Eric Holcomb is launching a program that teaches inmates at the Indiana Women’s Prison how to code. The program to be unveiled Thursday will provide software engineering skills that might lead to potential jobs in the technology sector after female offenders are released.

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COA upholds judgment for DOC correctional officer

An Indiana correctional officer is entitled to summary judgment on an offender’s small claims complaint, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled after determining the correctional officer properly confiscated “prohibited property” from the offender.

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Judge certifies class in Hepatitis C case against DOC

A district court judge has certified a class action against the Indiana Department of Correction and various medical providers, alleging the defendants fail to provide adequate treatment for the class members’ Hepatitis C diagnoses.

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ACLU: Indiana prison violated blind inmate’s rights

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Indiana Department of Correction, alleging that prison officials are discriminating against a blind former inmate by refusing to let him participate in a literacy program to get his sentence reduced.

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House explosion mastermind Mark Leonard dies in prison

Mark Leonard, the man convicted in the massive 2012 Indianapolis house explosion that killed two in the Richmond Hill subdivision, has died at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Correction confirmed Tuesday.

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