Indiana state capitol building in Indianapolis
2022 Legislative Priorities

Smart Justice Reforms

Support strategic criminal justice reform to enhance public safety, maximize rehabilitation, and minimize jail overcrowding, recidivism, and local fiscal impact:

  • Mental Health System: Support rehabilitative outcomes for mental health cases
    • Assessment & Diversions: Increase resources to court system to conduct mental health assessments and refer defendants to treatment and services
    • Pre-release Screenings: Administer mental health and skills assessments to inmates pre-release, connect to treatment, services, and employment opportunities
  • Administrative Reforms:
    • Multiple Felony Sentencing: To reduce impact on criminal justice systems, offenders with multiple felonies should be sentenced to the Department of Correction
    • Bail Consideration: Cash bond consideration must require a screening assessment and the ability to increase the bond considering severity of criminal history
    • Fines & Fees: Require that fines and fees not exceed cost to administer justice processes. Where fees exceed cost, surplus should fund restitution and treatment
  • Public Input and Oversight: Advance community trust and successful justice outcomes
    • Policymaking: Support Marion County efforts to establish structures for civilian input and oversight of law enforcement policymaking
    • External Oversight: Trigger automatic external investigation for fatal use of force or misconduct cases
  • Anti-Bias & Cultural Competency: Support community trust-building and deter bias
    • Training: Support law enforcement job performance by funding and requiring Cultural Competency, Implicit Bias, and Bias Crime training for all officers statewide
    • Bias Crimes: Amend bias crimes statute to make more inclusive and enforceable
  • Law Enforcement Officer Supports: Ensure officer well-being and accountability, building on the bipartisan breakthrough in police reform embodied by House Bill 1006 in 2021 (and monitoring the implementation of its key provisions)

Legislative Priorities Index

Click a year to review past and current legislative priorities.