In a February Article, we wrote that a new felony reduction bill had passed in the Indiana House. The bill moved on to the Senate, and after some modifications it was signed into law by the Governor on March 15th.
As expected, the statute allows courts to reduce non-violent, non-sexual Class D Felony convictions to Class A Misdemeanors after three years so long as:
(1) the person has not been convicted of perjury or official misconduct;
(2) the person has not been convicted of a new felony; and
(3) no criminal charges are pending against the person.
The final version of the bill also provides additional protection for those who have had records sealed or been arrested without a conviction. It defines “Criminal History Providers” and limits what information they can release. It also imposes punishments on employers who ask whether individuals have had old conviction records sealed. (Read a more detailed summary here.)
The new statute will become effective in July of this year and could have a drastic impact on those with old convictions or arrests. So if you are in such a situation and want to know whether this law might help you, give us a call and the attorneys at SFT Lawyers, LLP will be happy to help!