The Indiana General Assembly is considering a bill filed in the Senate that would reduce the inmate population at the Indiana Department of Correction and shift some those inmates to the county jails.
"We're close to capacity as it is," Sheriff John Wallace said.
Senate Bill 561 would reduce some non-violent crimes such as theft to a misdemeanor unless the theft was valued at $750 or more. The theft of $750 or more would be classified as a felony. Those dealing in illegal substances would be charged with Class C felonies rather than Class A felonies, which have a much stiffer penalty.
"The Department of Correction is saving quite a bit of money," Prosecutor Chad Lewis said.
"Many counties are opposing this legislation," commissioner Julie Berry said. She is the president of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners.
Lewis said the only positive change in the legislation would be expanding the "good time" credit of sentences. Currently, inmates can earn one day off their sentence for every day they serve in jail without any problems. This means the inmates only serve half of their sentences. The proposed law would expand this to one day of credit for every six served, meaning the offenders would serve 85 percent of their sentences.
"We were vehemently opposed to it, but we are receiving some benefits from it," Lewis said. He is the vice president of the Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys.
The bill has passed a Senate committee and has been sent to the floor of Senate.
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