November 2019

After charges have been filed against a person, a judge will then determine if a person is eligible to be released. If the court determines that the arrestee does not pose a significant risk of danger to herself or others, then the court will determine a bond amount. The bond amount is based on the charges filed. To learn more about bonds specifically, see https://banksbrower.com/2019/09/16/pay-a-bond-or-pay-a-lawyer/. A judge looks to different factors to decide if the…

It seems like every single week, somewhere around the country, there is a local and/or national story about a teacher having an “inappropriate sexual relationship with a student(s).” Whether involving high school students or middle school students, there are teachers of both sexes that are consistently being caught having sexual relations with children of all ages and sexes. Given the position of trust that teachers have with their students, the legislature has created a specially…

The concept of self-defense in the state of Indiana is generally seen as an act that is recognized as a valid justification for an otherwise criminal act. Meaning, that under Indiana Code 35-41-3-2(a) an individual is, “justified in using reasonable force against another person to protect himself from what he reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful force.”  Historically, this notion of self-defense “is predicated upon the right of every citizen to reasonably…

Everyone has the right to a fair trial.  There are some circumstances in which a change of venue is necessary in order to preserve this right.  Sometimes, media coverage has been so extensive in a particular case that it makes getting a fair trial impossible unless the case is moved out of the immediate jurisdiction.  To address this very real concern, Indiana law makes it possible to change venue in a criminal case. Indiana Change…