State Senator Koch proposes changes to state’s bail system

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - A Republican state senator wants to change which people have the right to make bail in Indiana, though that means changes will be made to the state’s Constitution.

Indiana State Senator Eric Koch Senate Joint Resolution 1, according to prosecutors, is meant to keep “dangerous people off the streets” before their impending trials.

However, officials say this proposal would mean to edit the state’s Constitution, and many civil rights advocates believe that the subjectivity in this resolution could potentially endanger the rights of people “presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

Officials say the resolution has moved to the full Indiana Senate, and if it passes both houses, they say this measure will have to survive the 2024 legislative session. They say passing constitutional amendments are neither easy nor quick to pass.

If it survives the next legislative session, the resolution would become a statewide vote.

Copyright 2023 WPTA. All rights reserved.