Judge details actions needed to improve Vigo jail
A federal judge says officials in Vigo County must take specific steps to improve conditions at the jail in Terre Haute or the court will step in to force changes.
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Authorities investigating Marion County Jail inmate’s death
Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate who was found unresponsive in his Marion County Jail cell. A 33-year-old man was found unresponsive by jail staff Saturday.
Many Indiana counties face jail crowding with inmate shift
Taxpayers in dozens of Indiana counties will be paying for new jail beds years after sweeping state criminal code changes began sending more low-level offenders into local jails instead of state prisons. At least 40 jails in Indiana are over capacity, and a recent state survey found that almost half of all jail inmates are Level 6 felons, the lowest-level felons.
Judge finds Vigo County Jail conditions unconstitutional
A federal judge has ruled conditions are unconstitutional at the overcrowded Vigo County Jail in Terre Haute.
Jury finds for Marion County sheriff at ex-deputy’s ADA trial
A former Marion County sheriff’s deputy who was permanently injured while on duty has lost her lawsuit against the sheriff’s department and the city of Indianapolis after a federal jury found the defendants did not fail to accommodate her and did not harass her because of her disability.
Sheriffs, public defense task force shine spotlight on jail overcrowding
The work of law enforcement has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. But in Indiana, one aspect of local law enforcement has not: the per diem local jails receive to house, feed and transport inmates. Currently the state allocates a $35 per day, but the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association has announced plans to advocate for raising that amount to $55.
Sheriff wants to use trailers to solve jail overcrowding
A central Indiana sheriff has a novel solution for jail overcrowding: lock inmates up in semi-trailers next to the jail in Greenfield.
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.
Judge lets Marion County inmate suicide suit proceed
A lawsuit claiming the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and one of its deputies violated an inmate’s constitutional rights by leaving him unattended long enough for the inmate to kill himself will continue after a district court judge declined to fully grant summary judgment to the county.
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.
Floyd County officials reach tentative settlement in jail death
A sheriff’s department in southern Indiana has reached a tentative settlement with the father of a woman who died in detention.
Indiana authorities reach tentative settlement in Floyd County jail death
The Floyd County Sheriff’s Department has reached a tentative settlement with the father of a woman who died in detention. An order was issued June 22 to file documents and authorize dismissal within 60 days of a civil case filed by Mark Robb against Floyd County Sheriff Frank Loop, the sheriff’s department and eight other employees.
Federal judge admonishes attorney after jailhouse ‘ruckus’
Plaintiffs’ counsel who took selfies with inmates and acknowledged causing a “bit of a ruckus” during a jail inspection got handed a protective order as well as a sharp rebuke from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
‘Let us begin:’ Ground broken for Indy Criminal Justice Center
The ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Marion County Criminal Justice Center was more than the symbolic start of construction, Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili said — it was the start of the city taking a groundbreaking step toward criminal justice reform.
Minority-owned firms vie to build Indianapolis justice center
Building Indianapolis’ massive criminal justice center will be a bonanza for the companies that land the work — and minority-owned firms are angling to ensure they are among the beneficiaries. If the city meets its goals, that would mean $154 million would go to minority-owned firms — 27 percent of the $571 million project.
Clark County Drug Court ‘ran roughshod,’ but litigants lose appeal
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday found litigants in Clark County’s troubled drug court endured significant deprivations of their constitutional rights — including sometimes being jailed for months without due process — but offered no relief in the appeal of their dismissed civil lawsuit.
Fort Wayne woman takes plea deal in threat against judge
A Fort Wayne woman accused of threatening to kill a judge has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a deal with prosecutors. Ida Mae Wilson appeared in a Delaware County court on Monday and apologized for saying she would shoot Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. in a phone call to her son, who was in jail.
Oregon city ends jail contract with ICE
Springfield, Oregon, has terminated a deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allows the agency to house immigrants who are living in or entering the country illegally in the Springfield Municipal Jail.
County inmates denied right to vote get certified as class
A federal judge in Fort Wayne recently certified a class of Allen County Jail inmates who were denied the right to vote in the November 2016 general election. The attorney representing the class said the case represents an opportunity to avoid similar future problems in other counties.
Lake County Jail deal seeks to curb turnover, overtime
A county in northwestern Indiana has ratified a jail contract that increases jailers’ pay in an effort to curb turnover and overtime among corrections officers.