Judicial Conference seeking comment on proposed rule amendments
The Indiana Judicial Conference is seeking feedback on proposed changes to rules governing specialty courts.
mental health
Articles
COA commitment for woman with anorexia seen as rare
In a move not typically seen, the Indiana Court of Appeals extended a Hoosier woman’s temporary involuntary commitment solely based on an eating disorder that doctors said was causing her severe malnutrition.
JLAP: The promise of self-compassion
Lawyer Jill Carnell invites you to try the practice of self-compassion because it can make you a better lawyer by helping you to more easily “reset” when you find yourself in an emotionally or physically painful situation.
Drug dealer convicted in 7 killings faces possible execution
It was one of the worst bursts of gang violence ever seen in Richmond, Virginia. At least 11 people were killed in a 45-day period in 1992, all at the hands of gang members who eliminated anyone they thought would get in the way of their growing crack cocaine business.
US executes first woman since 1953
A Kansas woman who briefly won a reprieve earlier this week from an Indiana federal judge was executed early Wednesday morning in Terre Haute for strangling an expectant mother in Missouri and cutting the baby from her womb. It was the first time in nearly seven decades that the U.S. government has put to death a female inmate.
Judge halts first US execution of female inmate in 67 years
An Indiana federal judge has halted the U.S. government’s first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades, saying a court must first determine whether the Kansas woman who killed an expectant mother, cut the baby from her womb and then tried to pass off the newborn as her own is mentally competent.
Lawyers: Inmate set for Tuesday execution is seriously mentally ill, ineligible for death penalty
“Broken before she was born.” That’s how lawyers describe Lisa Marie Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row and the next person scheduled for execution. Her lawyers and advocates who cite her horrific history of childhood abuse and trauma are calling on President Donald Trump to commute her sentence to life without parole or to grant her a reprieve.
Southern Indiana school settles disability investigation over restraints
A school system based in Princeton that was investigated after a complaint that it used seclusion and restraints on students with disabilities has settled with the United States Department of Justice.
Nursing home patient, family seek to enforce rights as to care
A case pending before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals brought on behalf of a northwest Indiana man suffering from dementia asks whether a patient in a long-term care facility can enforce rights under the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act.
Applegate: What to do after an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis
The diagnosis is in. Unfortunately, you or a loved one is diagnosed with the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Obviously, the first step is to work with your doctor to slow the progression. However, there are legal steps you need to take as quickly as possible.
Community Justice Campus nears completion
Marion County’s ambitious plan to put the various pieces of the local justice system onto a single campus is on schedule to be completed at the end of 2021. The Indianapolis-Marion County Community Justice Center, located just southeast of downtown in the Twin Aire neighborhood, will be home to the county jail, the sheriff’s office and the county courthouse. Earlier this year, the Assessment and Intervention Center opened and is treating individuals with mental health and addiction issues.
COA affirms commitment for woman with anorexia
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the commitment of a woman diagnosed with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, finding sufficient evidence that she was both mentally ill and gravely disabled.
US executes Louisiana truck driver who killed daughter, 2
The Trump administration continued its series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truck’s windows and dashboard.
COA: Intelligence text exclusion not abuse of discretion in residential entry case
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a Lawrence County man’s residential entry conviction, finding the exclusion of his psychological assessment from evidence was not an abuse of discretion.
Murder conviction COA vacated over attorney juror’s misconduct reinstated
Indiana Supreme Court justices affirmed Wednesday that a Vanderburgh County man who murdered his wife was not harmed when an attorney juror in his trial committed gross misconduct. The high court reinstated the man’s convictions that had been vacated by the Indiana Court of Appeals over the attorney’s misconduct in providing a misleading answer on a jury questionnaire.
JLAP: Grief is more than just the ‘holiday blues’
There is more in the air than holiday cheer. It feels heavy and different, the kind of energy you can’t put your finger on. David Kessler, renowned grief expert, issued a wake-up call: “We are all dealing with the collective loss of the world we knew. The world we knew is now gone forever.” If you feel like singing the blues, you are not alone.
Appeals court affirms mental health commitment order
A man who was found walking barefoot two miles from his home with glass in his feet was not wrongly ordered committed, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday.
Split COA affirms denial of claim against hospital in case tied to killing
The widow of a man who was killed by his grandson after numerous mental health treatments lost an appeal of a ruling against her negligence claims against health care providers Monday.
Creating new options for future recovery: Allen County debuts OWI Court
As problem-solving courts continue to expand across Indiana, Allen County is introducing a new program into the state’s suite of specialty courts. Launched in August, the Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Court in northeastern Indiana is the first of its kind in the state.
DOC partnership provides Narcan kits to released inmates
In light of an increase of relapses and overdose numbers, the Indiana Department of Correction this month announced it would start offering naloxone, an agent used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, to every offender released from a DOC facility.