When someone is convicted of a crime — or waiting on a case with conditions attached — Indiana law gives courts several different ways to supervise or incarcerate them. These are generally called “placement.” Placement ranges from the most restrictive (custody in a Department of Correction facility) to the least restrictive (probation in the community). This post walks through the main types, who is in charge of each, and what the experience is typically like, including programs available to someone in DOC custody.
The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC)
The Indiana Department of Correction operates the state’s prison system — 18 adult facilities ranging from minimum to maximum security.
Authority: IDOC is led by a Commissioner appointed under Indiana Code 11-8-2. Once a court commits someone to the Department, IDOC — not the court — decides the actual security level and facility placement. Under Indiana Code 35-38-3, a sentencing court may recommend a particular facility or program, but the Department makes the final classification decision after its own diagnostic process. Misdemeanants generally cannot be committed to DOC except in narrow circumstances, and Level 6 felony commitments to DOC are also restricted by statute in most cases.
Typical experience: Every incoming offender goes through intake at a Reception-Diagnostic Center (or, for women, Rockville Correctional Facility). Staff score each person using a Classification Designation Instrument that weighs sentence length, offense severity, history of violence or escape, substance abuse history, and institutional conduct. That score determines whether someone is housed in a minimum, low-medium, high-medium, or maximum security facility — and whether they live in an open dormitory setting or a more restrictive cell. Security level can change over time based on behavior and program participation.
Programs available in DOC: Contrary to the image of prison as simply “time served,” IDOC offers a range of programming:
- Recovery While Incarcerated (RWI): IDOC’s substance use disorder treatment program, run in partnership with the Department’s medical services contractor. RWI typically runs 7–9 months and includes individualized treatment planning, group therapy, medication-assisted treatment, and dedicated Sober Living Environment housing units. It ties into the state’s broader “Purposeful Incarceration” initiative, under which a sentencing court can recommend RWI, and successful completion can sometimes support a request for sentence modification.
- PLUS (Purposeful Living Units Serve): A voluntary faith- and character-based housing and programming track focused on life skills, mentoring, and preparing for reentry.
- Education and vocational training: IDOC partners with Ivy Tech Community College to offer GED preparation, vocational certificates, and in some cases associate degrees across many facilities.
- Case Plan Credit Time (CPCT): Under a 2020 legislative change, incarcerated individuals with an individualized case plan can earn up to one day of credit for every three days of qualifying programming — separate from ordinary good-time credit.
Work Release (Community Corrections)
Work Release is a step down from DOC custody — a community corrections program that allows someone to live at a Community Re-Entry/Work Release Center while working or attending school in the community under supervision.
Authority: Work Release programs are governed by IDOC policy (Policy 01-04-101-11, the Work/Study Release Program) but are administered locally through county community corrections programs, each overseen by a Community Corrections Advisory Board. Placement in Work Release is discretionary — Indiana courts have described it as “a matter of grace,” not an entitlement, meaning the community corrections director can end or modify someone’s placement, or ask the court to revoke it, if rules aren’t followed.
Typical experience: Participants generally sleep at the Work Release facility but are allowed out during approved hours for work, school, or treatment. Structure and accountability are high — curfews, drug screens, and check-ins are standard — but participants retain far more independence than someone in a DOC facility.
GPS Monitoring / Home Detention
Home detention (commonly called “house arrest” or GPS monitoring) lets someone serve their placement at their own residence instead of a facility, with location monitored electronically.
Authority: Governed by Indiana Code 35-38-2.5. A court may order home detention as a condition of probation for at least 60 days, with supervision provided either by the probation department or a community corrections program. The statute caps total time on home detention at the minimum sentence for a felony or the maximum sentence for a misdemeanor. Certain sex offenses carry additional restrictions, and home detention generally isn’t available to someone held on an out-of-state warrant.
Typical experience: Participants wear or carry a monitoring device — typically a GPS ankle monitor — and follow a pre-approved weekly schedule of permitted movement (work, treatment, court, groceries, etc.). Programs vary in intensity: some combine GPS with alcohol/drug monitoring (“SleepTime” devices), while others are curfew-only. Participants are typically charged a daily supervision fee, and any unapproved movement is treated as a violation that can trigger a return to court.
Probation
Probation is usually the least restrictive placement and the most common outcome in Indiana criminal cases — supervision in the community with reporting requirements and conditions, rather than confinement.
Authority: This is the one form of placement not run by IDOC at all. Probation is administered by each county’s local court probation department, under rules set by the Indiana Supreme Court’s Probation Standards and governed at the county level under Trial Rule 18 (County Probation Departments). Probation officers are state judicial employees tied directly to the court, not to the Department of Correction.
Typical experience: Conditions vary by case but often include regular check-ins, fees, drug/alcohol testing, maintaining employment, and avoiding new arrests. Under Indiana Code 35-38-2-2.3, a felony probation term generally cannot exceed the maximum sentence for that felony, while misdemeanor probation is capped at one year (extendable to two years in a problem-solving court program such as drug court or a reentry court). Probation is distinct from parole, which applies after release from DOC custody and is supervised by IDOC’s Division of Parole Services and the Indiana Parole Board, not the local court.
Putting It Together
| Placement Type | Who Runs It | Typical Restriction Level |
|---|---|---|
| IDOC (prison) | Indiana Department of Correction | Most restrictive — secure facility custody |
| Work Release | County community corrections | Moderate — supervised residential center, allowed out for work/school |
| GPS / Home Detention | Probation dept. or community corrections | Moderate-low — confined to home except approved activities |
| Probation | Local court probation department | Least restrictive — community supervision |
Courts have discretion to order whichever placement fits the case, and a person’s placement can shift over time — someone might start on GPS monitoring and move to straight probation as a case resolves, or move from Work Release back to a facility after a violation. Understanding where a client sits on this spectrum — and what programs are actually available to them at each level — is a key part of building a realistic plan for a case.
This post is for general information and does not constitute legal advice. If you have questions about a specific placement or sentence in LaPorte County, contact our office to discuss your situation.