Justices answer juvenile ineffective assistance of counsel question
Indiana Supreme Court justices have affirmed the placement of a teenage boy in the Indiana Department of Correction, finding he was not provided ineffective assistance of counsel.
Juvenile justice
Articles
Justices reverse grant of transfer in teen murder case following oral arguments
Just hours after hearing oral arguments on the merits in a murder case from 2000, the Indiana Supreme Court reversed its decision to assume jurisdiction over the case.
Justices weigh murder case from 2000 involving 15-year-old
A decades-old murder case was considered by the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday during oral arguments where parties debated whether the former teen defendant was prejudiced by his counsel’s failure to present mitigating evidence about his mental illness at the time of the offense.
Justices to hear arguments in juvenile murder case
The Indiana Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Thursday in a decades-old murder case considering whether the defendant was prejudiced by his counsel’s failure to present mitigating evidence about his mental illness at the time of the crime.
COA affirms teens’ robbery charges
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed the denial of two teens’ motions to dismiss their felony robbery charges after they allegedly stole from a mini mart and battered an employee who tried to stop them.
New law gives moms, dads behind bars hope in TPR cases
Christina Kovats and Kristina Byers previously served time at the Indiana Women’s Prison, and this year they became advocates who worked to draft Indiana legislation aimed at dismantling the black-and-white mentality regarding termination of parental rights for incarcerated mothers. A new law now gives judges discretion in TPR cases involving parents behind bars.
Placement of juvenile in DOC stands after appeal
A teenager now under the wardship of the Indiana Department of Correction lost arguments Wednesday that the decision to declare him a ward of the DOC was an abuse of discretion.
Legislative study committee hears juvenile offender concerns
Numerous stakeholders offered input and answers Thursday during a legislative committee meeting addressing laws and policies concerning the adjudication and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders.
Video hearings did not result in unfair or harmful juvenile proceedings
Two juveniles will remain wards of the Indiana Department of Correction after the Indiana Supreme Court found that while their participation in their modification hearings through Skype violated an administrative rule, it did not cause a fundamental error.
Porter County to offer genetic tests for juvenile offenders
The juvenile court for northwestern Indiana’s Porter County is partnering with a laboratory to offer genetic testing for young offenders to help see what psychiatric medications might help them.
Teen declared delinquent after in fire at warehouse complex
A teenager charged with arson in a fire that swept a vacant warehouse complex in western Indiana nearly four months after another blaze damaged the same site has been declared a delinquent child.
Indiana boy, 15, to be tried as adult in 2 siblings’ deaths
An Indiana boy who was 13 when he allegedly killed his two young siblings will be tried as an adult in their suffocation deaths.
Last of 4 women charged as teens in torture slaying released
The last of four women charged as teenagers with the 1992 torture murder of a southern Indiana 12-year-old has been released from prison.
Prosecutors want boy, 15, tried as adult in slayings
Prosecutors want to try a 15-year-old Indianapolis boy as an adult in last week’s fatal shootings of two teenage siblings.
Teen murder wavier to adult court affirmed; police custody issue splits COA
A juvenile court’s rulings in a murder case implicating a 15-year-old boy who had gone to the police station to answer questions after he had been treated for stab wounds were upheld Monday by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Student with gun stopped outside Muncie Central High School
Muncie police say a 15-year-old student in possession of a gun was arrested outside a city high school on Wednesday.
Man accused of labor trafficking Indiana minors in Kentucky
An Indianapolis man has been charged with child labor law violations after allegedly bringing 12 children from Indiana to Kentucky to sell candy for him.
Lawsuit claims DCS failing to protect children and inflicting further harm
Children going into the state’s child welfare system end up more broken, attorneys suing the Department of Child Services say, because they are not being provided with therapy and treatment to help them heal. Rather, the lawyers contend, DCS is just finding beds to stick the kids in and forgetting about their other needs.
Juvenile incarceration, crime falling nationwide
Advocates say alternatives to detention are benefiting kids, and Indiana is in line with statistics showing that across the country, youth incarceration and juvenile crime are declining.
Teen convicted of murder wins resentencing due to ineffective counsel
A man who as a 16-year-old received a 181-year sentence for murder in entitled to a new sentencing hearing. The Indiana Court of Appeals concluded the Lake County teen was denied effective trial counsel during his sentencing hearing.