« Ind. Gov't. - Still more on "What are the BMV's plans re its void ID rules?" | Main | Ind. Gov't. - More on "New I.U. Board of Trustees member criticized by Purdue prof" »
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Ind. Law - Rethink protection law
"Rethink protection law" is the title to an editorial today in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, referencing a Court of Appeals opinion issued last week and discussed in this ILB entry yesterday. Some quotes from the editorial:
In 2002, the General Assembly narrowed the state’s protective order law in an effort to eliminate an increasing number of nuisance orders issued for disagreements between neighbors and acquaintances. Today the law allows orders in cases concerning stalking or sex offenses. Abusive relationships involving families and workplace violence are also eligible. It may not look like it now, but the original intent for the change made sense: fewer nuisance orders mean judges and law enforcement can focus on volatile situations that require the kind of legal weight a protection order offers. * * *Laws are seldom perfect, and the protective order is an example. Stephen Johnson, president of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, has seen some other loopholes in the protective order statute and he thinks it’s time to reassess the law.
“This isn’t something I’d seen before,” Johnson said about the appeals court decision. “But the law is too restrictive. They need to reconsider the law.”
And the General Assembly should start that re-evaluation when it reconvenes.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 27, 2005 06:51 AM
Posted to Indiana Law