EVANSVILLE — A bill that would bolster requirements for state officials to notify law enforcement and victims of a violent offender’s release from prison got a first reading at the statehouse on Monday, Jan. 5, after a successful lobbying effort by the family of a slain Evansville woman.
House Bill 1250 would require the Indiana Department of Corrections to notify law enforcement and prosecutors at least seven days prior to a violent offender’s release. It also strengthens requirements that victims receive information about the existing automated notification system from either a state court or a local prosecutor’s office.
In crafting the legislation, lead author Rep. Tim O’Brien worked closely with the Susan Haynie Committee, a group comprised of its namesake’s family members and supporters who vowed to reform Indiana’s victim notification system after Jamerus Parkman allegedly murdered Haynie inside her East Gum Street home on Aug. 27…