No contact bill passes through House Judiciary committee
INDIANAPOLIS-- An automatic court order of no contact has some people worried about those involved in violent crimes.
House Bill 1234 would make no contact orders obligatory for any perpetrator of a violent crime who is released on bail without having a hearing in open court.
To some, the order just adds more stress than relief.
"To make it obligatory is an overreach and potentially damaging to both the victim and the alleged perpetrator," said Andrew Cullen from the Indiana Public Defender Council.
Some hypothetical situations that the bill may unknowingly cause include:
--The victim or perpetrator becoming homeless because the two cannot live together under the terms of the court order;
--Victims becoming wary of posting bail because the fear of a no contact order;
--Or the victim contacting the perpetrator and the perpetrator possibly violating an order in response to the victim.
By a 7-1 vote, the bill passed in the Indiana House Judiciary Committee, after Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, argued in its favor and ended the discussion.
Lawson, a retired police captain, spoke of her nine years in a squad car where she saw murders occur and domestic abuse cases unfold, and said that she supported the bill to help those in law enforcement do their job better and easier.
"I'm in favor of this bill. This needs to be in our toolbox, and we need to move on to the next bill," said Lawson.
The bill likely will be amended to include a timeline of how long the order will last and also likely will include new language to make the bill more concise.
