Habitual Offenders
Since 2003, the philosophy of the Floyd County Prosecutor’s Office has been to hold repeat offenders accountable for their actions. Below is a breakdown of Habitual Offender filings by year:
According to the Indiana Criminal Code, the State may seek to have a person sentenced as a Habitual Offender for a felony offense if that person has accumulated two or more prior unrelated felony convictions and certain other conditions apply.
The habitual offender statute provides the trial court with the opportunity to impose a more severe sentence on offenders who choose to pursue lives of criminality.
Effective July 1, 2014, Habitual Offenders can be sentenced between six (6) and twenty (20) years, if convicted of murder or a Level 1 through Level 4 felony, and between two (2) and six (6) years if convicted of a Level 5 or Level 6 felony.
The Habitual Substance Offender Statute, IC 35-50-2-10, was repealed on July 1, 2014. Effective July 1, 2014, felony substance offense convictions may be used toward the required two or more prior unrelated felony convictions under the revised Habitual Offender Statute IC 35-50-2-8.
Effective January 1, 2015, offenders can face between one (1) and eight (8) additional years if convicted under the new Habitual Vehicular Substance Offender law, IC 9-30-15.5-2.