Indiana Code 35-38-1-17. Sentence modification; conditions; not permitted for certain offenders
(1) commits an offense; or
Attorney's Note
Under the Indiana Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 felony | between 20 and 40 years | up to $10,000 |
| Level 2 felony | between 10 and 30 years | up to $10,000 |
| Level 3 felony | between 3 and 16 years | up to $10,000 |
| Level 4 felony | between 2 and 12 years | up to $10,000 |
Terms Used In Indiana Code 35-38-1-17
- Attorney: includes a counselor or other person authorized to appear and represent a party in an action or special proceeding. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- minor: means a person less than eighteen (18) years of age. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. Source:
- victim: has the meaning set forth in Indiana Code 35-38-1-9
before July 1, 2014.
(b) This section does not apply to a credit restricted felon.
(c) Except as provided in subsections (k) and (m), this section does not apply to a violent criminal.
(d) As used in this section, “violent criminal” means a person convicted of any of the following offenses:
(1) Murder (IC 35-42-1-1).
(2) Attempted murder (IC 35-41-5-1).
(3) Voluntary manslaughter (IC 35-42-1-3).
(4) Involuntary manslaughter (IC 35-42-1-4).
(5) Reckless homicide (IC 35-42-1-5).
(6) Aggravated battery (IC 35-42-2-1.5).
(7) Kidnapping (IC 35-42-3-2).
(8) Rape (IC 35-42-4-1).
(9) Criminal deviate conduct (IC 35-42-4-2) (before its repeal).
(10) Child molesting (IC 35-42-4-3).
(11) Sexual misconduct with a minor as a Class A felony under IC 35-42-4-9(a)(2) or a Class B felony under IC 35-42-4-9(b)(2) (for a crime committed before July 1, 2014) or sexual misconduct with a minor as a Level 1 felony under IC 35-42-4-9(a)(2) or a Level 2 felony under IC 35-42-4-9(b)(2) (for a crime committed after June 30, 2014).
(12) Robbery as a Class A felony or a Class B felony (IC 35-42-5-1) (for a crime committed before July 1, 2014) or robbery as a Level 2 felony or a Level 3 felony (IC 35-42-5-1) (for a crime committed after June 30, 2014).
(13) Burglary as Class A felony or a Class B felony (IC 35-43-2-1) (for a crime committed before July 1, 2014) or burglary as a Level 1 felony, Level 2 felony, Level 3 felony, or Level 4 felony (IC 35-43-2-1) (for a crime committed after June 30, 2014).
(14) Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon (IC 35-47-4-5).
(e) At any time after:
(1) a convicted person begins serving the person’s sentence; and
(2) the court obtains a report from the department of correction concerning the convicted person’s conduct while imprisoned;
the court may reduce or suspend the sentence and impose a sentence that the court was authorized to impose at the time of sentencing. However, if the convicted person was sentenced under the terms of a plea agreement, the court may not, without the consent of the prosecuting attorney, reduce or suspend the sentence and impose a sentence not authorized by the plea agreement. The court must incorporate its reasons in the record.
(f) If the court sets a hearing on a petition under this section, the court must give notice to the prosecuting attorney and the prosecuting attorney must give notice to the victim (as defined in IC 35-31.5-2-348) of the crime for which the convicted person is serving the sentence.
(g) The court may suspend a sentence for a felony under this section only if suspension is permitted under IC 35-50-2-2.2.
(h) The court may deny a request to suspend or reduce a sentence under this section without making written findings and conclusions.
(i) The court is not required to conduct a hearing before reducing or suspending a sentence under this section if:
(1) the prosecuting attorney has filed with the court an agreement of the reduction or suspension of the sentence; and
(2) the convicted person has filed with the court a waiver of the right to be present when the order to reduce or suspend the sentence is considered.
(j) This subsection applies only to a convicted person who is not a violent criminal. A convicted person who is not a violent criminal may file a petition for sentence modification under this section:
(1) not more than one (1) time in any three hundred sixty-five (365) day period; and
(2) a maximum of two (2) times during any consecutive period of incarceration;
without the consent of the prosecuting attorney.
(k) This subsection applies to a convicted person who is a violent criminal. Except as provided in subsection (n), a convicted person who is a violent criminal may, not later than three hundred sixty-five (365) days from the date of sentencing, file one (1) petition for sentence modification under this section without the consent of the prosecuting attorney. After the elapse of the three hundred sixty-five (365) day period, a violent criminal may not file a petition for sentence modification without the consent of the prosecuting attorney.
(l) A person may not waive the right to sentence modification under this section as part of a plea agreement. Any purported waiver of the right to sentence modification under this section in a plea agreement is invalid and unenforceable as against public policy. This subsection does not prohibit the finding of a waiver of the right to:
(1) have a court modify a sentence and impose a sentence not authorized by the plea agreement, as described under subsection (e); or
(2) sentence modification for any other reason, including failure to comply with the provisions of this section.
(m) Notwithstanding subsection (k), a person who commits an offense after June 30, 2014, and before May 15, 2015, may file one (1) petition for sentence modification without the consent of the prosecuting attorney, even if the person has previously filed a petition for sentence modification.
(n) A person sentenced in a criminal court having jurisdiction over an offense committed when the person was less than eighteen (18) years of age may file an additional petition for sentence modification under this section without the consent of the prosecuting attorney if the person has served at least:
(1) fifteen (15) years of the person’s sentence, if the person is not serving a sentence for murder; or
(2) twenty (20) years of the person’s sentence, if the person is serving a sentence for murder.
The time periods described in this subsection are computed on the basis of time actually served and do not include any reduction applied for good time credit or educational credit time.
As added by P.L.311-1983, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.317-1985, SEC.1; P.L.204-1986, SEC.1; P.L.240-1991(ss2), SEC.92; P.L.291-2001, SEC.224; P.L.2-2005, SEC.123; P.L.1-2010, SEC.141; P.L.114-2012, SEC.78; P.L.158-2013, SEC.396; P.L.168-2014, SEC.58; P.L.164-2015, SEC.2; P.L.13-2016, SEC.12; P.L.45-2018, SEC.2; P.L.115-2023, SEC.11.