Specialized Driving Privileges: Indiana’s New Hardship License -. Have you been patiently (or impatiently!!!) sitting by the sidelines unable to drive for what seems like forever? Or, have you been driving when you aren’t supposed to, constantly checking your rear-view mirror for police officers? Well it appears there may be good news on the horizon. In fact, you may finally be able to get your license back — not only if you thought you would never…
A Quick Look at Indiana’s Statutes on Intimidation, Harassment, and Stalking Before you post that nasty comment about someone on Facebook, or before cyber stalk…you might want to think about whether that communication or internet spying might cross the line. In this blog the Indianapolis Criminal Defense Attorneys of Banks & Brower will focus on two of the most common communication-based criminal charges: intimidation and harassment,both of which seem to be filed more and more often, especially with the advent…
Can I modify my child support order? If you’re a party to a child support order, you may wonder if that order can ever be modified. The answer is yes—Indiana allows, under certain circumstances, for modification of a child support order. If you are going through a divorce, a custody proceeding, or attempting to establish paternity it may be important to remember this. You can see how child support is calculated in one of our…
What is a Federal Detention Hearing In state court many times a defendant will have a bond review hearing and the state court will decide what bond a person must post prior to being released. It can be a cash or surety bond or a combination of both. (see our previous blog on bonds). In federal court, after a complaint has been filed, the US Attorney’s office may seek to have you detained until such…
Sentence Modifications after the 2014 Indiana Criminal Code Overhaul – In this blog the Indianapolis Criminal Defense Attorneys at Banks & Brower look at sentence modifications. A sentence modification is a mechanism by which a person convicted of a crime can seek to have the length or placement of the sentence changed after some portion of his or her sentence has been completed. For example, a person may seek to have a few years trimmed…
To Spank? Or, Not to Spank? That is the Question As society becomes more and more politically correct and sensitive, the more and more often we are seeing cases filed against parents for spanking their children for Battery on a Minor as a class-D or Level 6 Felony. Why you might ask? While most people realize that each parent has the right to discipline their own child, be it physically through spanking, etc. or some…
Purposeful Incarceration an Alternative to Traditional Incarceration The whole idea behind prison, accurately called the Department of Corrections, is to get offenders to a point where they will not re-offend. It has been a challenge for prisons all over the nation. Too many times an offender enters the prison only to be released and then return some months later. In 2009, Indiana started a new program called Purposeful Incarceration. The idea was designed to…
A Look at Indiana’s Aggravating & Mitigating Factors When It Comes to Sentencing Many people know that a judge generally has considerable leeway in imposing a sentence after a person is convicted of a crime. For example, a sentence for a Level 5 felony can range from 1 to 6 years. So how do judges come to a sentencing decision in any given case? Indiana law contains certain aggravating and mitigating circumstances that a…