SB 218 revises Indiana’s electronic monitoring requirements for supervising agencies that oversee tracked individuals. The bill tightens notification timelines when a monitoring device loses communication, a tracked person enters a prohibited zone, or the person tampers with the device. For individuals charged with or convicted of crimes of violence or domestic or sexual violence, the bill requires much faster notice—within 15 minutes—and adds a duty to notify a vulnerable victim and request a law-enforcement welfare check when the tracked person is alleged to have committed or has committed a crime against that victim.
The bill also requires more direct oversight of higher-risk monitored individuals by mandating one scheduled and one unannounced in-person contact every 30 days for those monitored for violent or domestic/sexual violence offenses. Supervising agencies must also establish approved and unapproved locations, create protocols for contacting vulnerable victims and law enforcement, adopt policies limiting certain relationships between staff and tracked individuals, and develop contingency plans for disruptions such as power outages, equipment failures, emergencies, or contractor insolvency. Agencies must specify backup verification methods when communication loss is possible, and may do so more broadly at their discretion.
In addition to operational requirements, SB 218 expands quarterly reporting obligations. Supervising agencies must report data on the number and type of tracked individuals, staffing levels, costs and fees, terminations of supervision, and false alerts or device malfunctions. Those reports flow from local justice reinvestment advisory councils to the statewide council, which must publish quarterly reports and submit an annual compilation to the legislative council and the Judicial Conference of Indiana. The bill also changes the annual reporting deadline from March 15 to May 1.
The bill’s impact is primarily on criminal justice supervision practices, especially electronic monitoring programs run by supervising agencies and the division of parole services. It increases compliance, documentation, and victim-safety obligations, and it may require agencies to adjust staffing, technology, and internal procedures to meet the shorter notification window and expanded in-person contact requirements. It also strengthens statewide oversight by standardizing reporting and requiring more detailed data collection.
The overall sentiment appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. The bill passed the Senate 49-0 and the House 90-0, indicating unanimous bipartisan approval in both chambers. No committee transcript was provided, and the voting record suggests broad agreement that the bill improves monitoring accountability and victim protection.
SB 218 amends Indiana Code chapter 35-38-2.7 governing electronic monitoring and supervising agencies. It imposes stricter notification, verification, victim-notification, and reporting duties, particularly for people monitored for violent, domestic violence, or sexual violence offenses. It also updates the statewide and local justice reinvestment advisory council reporting process and changes the annual report deadline to May 1.
The bill appears to have received unanimous, bipartisan support in both chambers, with 49-0 passage in the Senate and 90-0 passage in the House. The lack of recorded opposition and the absence of committee controversy suggest the measure was viewed as a practical public-safety and administrative update to electronic monitoring rules.
No formal contention is reflected in the available record. The only likely areas of policy sensitivity are the bill’s shortened 15-minute notification requirement for higher-risk monitored individuals, the added duty to notify vulnerable victims and involve law enforcement, and the increased administrative burden on supervising agencies. However, the unanimous votes indicate these provisions did not generate visible opposition during floor consideration.