STATEHOUSE (April 4, 2019) — A bill sponsored by State Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington) that would help curb the overcrowding issues facing many county jails in Indiana recently passed the full Senate by a vote of 46 to 2.
House Bill 1078 would allow a court to relocate a Level 6 felony offender from a county jail to the Indiana Department of Correction if the person is a violent offender or has two prior unrelated felony convictions.
“We can’t keep exceeding maximum occupancy in our local jails,” Zay said. “It strains county resources, increases costs and puts inmates in unreasonable conditions. The General Assembly continues to work on prison reforms that would alleviate issues associated with our state’s growing incarceration rate, and I believe HB 1078 would be a step in the right direction, giving local governments another option to better manage their rising jail populations.”
HB 1078 will now return to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
For more information on HB 1078 and other legislation being considered by the General Assembly this session, visit iga.in.gov.
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For a high-resolution photo of Zay, click here.
