This story today in the NW Indiana Times, headlined "Little truth in sentencing in Indiana: Offenders eligible to serve half their time or less," points to differences in the sentencing of criminals in Indiana, as compared to the federal system and some other states. Some quotes:
Just more than half the states have adopted federal guidelines requiring violent offenders to serve at least 85 percent of their prison sentences, but the proposal died before the Indiana Senate nine years ago.Posted by Marcia Oddi at March 8, 2004 02:55 PMThe Indiana Department of Correction then opposed the legislation because of concerns about the cost of housing offenders longer and the loss of a good-time credit as a tool to keep inmates in line, said state Rep. Ralph Ayres, R-Chesterton, who authored the proposed legislation.
Adopting the federal guidelines also would contribute to the problem of overcrowding, which is forcing the state to house inmates at county jails and at facilities in other states, department spokeswoman Pam Pattison said.
The push for the federal regulations in 1995 did result in an increase in the sentence for murder from 50 to 55 years, Ayres said.
The proposal did not surface during the current legislative session, but Ayres said he supports the concept known as "truth in sentencing."