Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoosier households have experienced unexpected impacts on their personal and financial journeys. However, one Indiana organization is helping to lift the burden of these economic challenges. For those living within Monroe, Brown, Morgan and Greene counties, the South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP) has been a positive force for individuals needing financial and housing counseling.Since 1965, SCCAP has supported the personal and economic independence of Hoosiers — meeting them where they are and giving them the tools they need to thrive. On ..read more

Six months ago, David Magura, the court administrator for Youngstown Municipal Court, was walking into work when he heard three police officers talking about the city’s new pretrial program. The officers opined that the changes would lead to mass releases, endangering the public. Magura, who had been at the helm of the enhancements to the program, stayed quiet. But another officer, who had served as a law enforcement representative in the group of 28 people responsible for hashing out the system’s final details, stepped in. He explained that Youngstown’s previous approach was not working and t ..read more

The explosion on the scene of advanced AI chatbots opens a new path to using this technology to help more citizens achieve the access to justice they need to meet their legal needs OpenAI’s GPT-3’s recent explosion onto the tech scene has shaken the legal industry to its core, reigniting the question of whether computers will ultimately replace lawyers. While a full-out replacement is highly unlikely, one area where GPT has tremendous potential to transform our legal system — and help millions of people in the process — is by guiding low-income individuals through their legal problems to resol ..read more

According to the Marion County Probation Department, 726 young people were sent to juvenile detention. In 2022, that number was just below 600. INDIANAPOLIS — Firearms – from handguns to semi-automatic rifles – were found in the possession of teenagers last year. “What we saw differently in 2023 than we did in 2022 is youth were presenting for handgun offenses. So it would be for possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm,” said Christine Kerl, Chief Probation Officer with the Marion County Probation Department. According to Kerl, in 2023, 726 young people were sent to juvenile detention ..read more

After our branding was finished, we worked to make a new container for our website content. We know members want quick access to job posts, conference information, and legislative updates so the home page now features all those links in the first large block of content. You’ll continue to notice more of your priorities applied to our structure as we continue to update the site. For now, if you’re missing something, you’ll notice a prominent search bar at the top of every page, and the navigation at the top is the exact same as our old site. We added a robust informational block at the bottom o ..read more

The United States Sentencing Commission (“the Commission”) was created by the Sentencing Reform Act provisions of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. The Commission is an independent agency in the Judicial Branch of the federal government, with statutory duties that include: establishing and amending sentencing guidelines to be considered by sentencing judges in all federal criminal cases; collecting, analyzing, and reporting sentencing data systematically to detect new criminal trends, assess federal sentencing policies, and serve as a clearinghouse for federal sentencing statistics ..read more

Johnson County crisis intervention deputies Jim Engemark, Shannon Chambers and Chad Poytner pose for a photo inside the Indiana Statehouse in 2023. The deputies were at the Statehouse as part of legislator meet and greet for National Alliance for Mental Illness Indiana. Submitted photo Two members of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT, were recently honored for their work. Crisis Intervention Deputies Jim Engmark and Shannon Chambers both recently received accolades from CIT Indiana and National Alliance of Mental Health Indiana. Engmark was recognized as CIT ..read more

Two teenage boys caused damage to a Costco in Hendricks County, Indiana, by lighting a firework and tossing it into a trash can, starting a fire. The two avoided probation but got slapped with an order to pay $28,750.50 in restitution. Attorney Audrey Lunsford represented the two juveniles—identified as BK, age 17, and SK, age 15—in front of the Indiana Supreme Court on Jan. 11. Robert Young represented the state of Indiana in the case. “This has pretty significant consequences for what the prosecutor had characterized in the court of appeals, quoted as ‘just a stupid decision that these two i ..read more

Recent actions coming from the nation’s highest court may leave many corporations wondering whether their efforts at improving diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) in their workplace will be undone Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively prevented college and universities from using race as a factor during the admissions process, finding that it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The decision does not impact workplace diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) efforts directly, however, because employment discrimi ..read more

“Virginia’s consistently low recidivism rates demonstrate our commitment to evidence-based re-entry. We want everyone in our custody and under our supervision to make the best possible return to society,” VADOC Director Chad Dotson said RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is marking April as National Second Chance Month, a celebration of former inmates and supervisees who have successfully reintegrated into society after their incarceration. This observance underscores the significance of re-entry programs and the support necessary for individuals to make a positive ..read more