Indiana's Habitual Offender Law: A Lifeline For Repeat Offenders Or An Unfair Punishment?

Webone of the primary drivers of racial inequality in criminal sentencing has been “habitual offender” laws (crow & johnson, 2008).

These laws impose sentence.

Indiana's Habitual Offender Law: A Lifeline For Repeat Offenders Or An Unfair Punishment? 2

Webindiana’s habitual offender law has been disproportionately applied to young defendants, racial minorities, or drug offenders.

Indiana's Habitual Offender Law: A Lifeline For Repeat Offenders Or An Unfair Punishment? 3

Abstract at a higher rate than white people.

Web(d) a person convicted of a felony offense is a habitual offender if the state proves beyond a reasonable doubt that:

(1) the person has been convicted of three (3) prior unrelated felonies;

Indiana's Habitual Offender Law: A Lifeline For Repeat Offenders Or An Unfair Punishment? 6

And (2) if the person is alleged to have committed a prior unrelated:

Web(a) the state may seek to have a person sentenced as a habitual offender for a felony by alleging, on one (1) or more pages separate from the rest of the charging instrument,.

Indiana's Habitual Offender Law: A Lifeline For Repeat Offenders Or An Unfair Punishment? 8

Webin indiana, if you have been previously convicted of certain offenses, the court might consider you a “habitual offender”.

This status doesn’t mean a new charge,.

Weba person convicted of murder or of a level 1 through level 4 felony is a habitual offender if the state proves beyond a reasonable doubt that:

The person has been.

Indiana's Habitual Offender Law: A Lifeline For Repeat Offenders Or An Unfair Punishment? 12

Web(i) the court shall sentence a person found to be a habitual offender to an additional fixed term that is between:

(1) eight (8) years and twenty (20) years, for a person convicted of.