Animal Cruelty Laws in Indiana

Knowingly or intentionally abusing a vertebrate animal is cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $5,000). It is a Level 6 felony (6 months to 2.5 years) if the person has a prior conviction, acts to threaten or terrorize a family or household member, commits it in front of a minor, or the animal is permanently disfigured, made unconscious, seriously impaired or killed. Torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, and killing someone else's domestic animal without consent, are Level 6 felonies. Recklessly, knowingly or intentionally abandoning or neglecting an animal in one's custody is a Class A misdemeanor, a Level 6 felony with a prior conviction, in front of a minor, with serious harm or death, or when a person with 10 or more animals fails to provide adequate food, water and shelter; the court must consider ordering counseling.

Indiana's rule on court-appointed lawyers: Before public defense counsel is assigned, the court must find the defendant indigent; the judicial officer then assigns counsel. If the court finds the person is able to pay part of the cost of representation, it shall order a fee of $200 for a felony action or $100 for a misdemeanor action; other statutes allow courts to order reimbursement of reasonable attorney's fees and costs at any stage after determining ability to pay. Costs must be reasonable and not more than the cost of representation, and a court may not order an indigent defendant to pay based on possible future earnings. Ind. Code §§ 35-33-7-6(c), 33-40-3-6, 33-37-2-3; Davis v. State, 843 N.E.2d 65 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006)

Lawyers set their own fees, and Indiana has rules on how they may charge. See hiring a criminal defense lawyer in Indiana for fee rules, how to check a lawyer's license and free help.

How release before trial works in Indiana: Under Indiana Criminal Rule 2.6 (effective January 1, 2024), a court should release an arrestee who does not present a substantial risk of flight or danger to self or others without money bail or surety, subject to conditions the court sets. This does not apply to arrestees charged with murder or treason, on pretrial release for an unrelated incident, or on probation, parole or other community supervision. In assessing risk, the court should use the results of an evidence-based risk assessment approved by the Office of Judicial Administration plus other relevant information, but need not run an assessment first if that would delay release. If money bail is required, the court sets the amount and decides whether a surety bond and/or cash deposit may satisfy it, and may accept a partial cash deposit. Cash bail deposits may be retained to pay fines, costs, fees, restitution and publicly paid costs of representation. Ind. Crim. Rule 2.6(A)-(C); Ind. Code § 35-33-8-3.2(a) What happens after an arrest.

Each state sets its own rules for sealing or expunging records. See Indiana expungement and record sealing rules.