Lawmakers Are Discussing Changes To Drug Sentences. INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Joe Kernan joined legislative leaders on a tour of two state prisons Wednesday and urged lawmakers to discuss ways to ease overcrowding that could include sentencing and parole reforms. The governor toured a medium-security women's prison in Rockville and a low-to medium-security men's prison in Putnamville, both in western Indiana, to get a firsthand look at the crowding problem. "We come today with no solutions but instead the idea that we can work together, pool our resources and look for ways to impact the situation," Kernan said after returning to his Statehouse office. [continues 353 words]
INDIANAPOLIS- Students who are expelled from school may also be denied academic credits for coursework they have already completed, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Friday. In an unanimous decision, justices reversed two lower courts, ruling that school boards may withhold credit from students who have been expelled, even if those grades were earned before the expulsion. School districts statewide commonly deny credits to expelled students. But the Sollman family of Haubstadt in southwestern Indiana sued and won by arguing that their son should have received first-semester credits for work he had already completed before he was removed from school. [continues 437 words]
