SB 344 Summary

• Abolishes capital punishment in Indiana and commutes all existing death sentences to life imprisonment without parole effective upon passage.

• Removes references to death penalty from criminal statutes, including murder sentencing provisions (IC 35-50-2-3 and IC 35-50-2-9), which now authorize only life imprisonment without parole for murder convictions with aggravating circumstances.

• Eliminates death penalty-specific procedures including automatic appeal review by the Supreme Court, execution scheduling requirements, and post-conviction relief processes for capital cases.

• Modifies public defense funding to remove the 50% reimbursement rate for capital cases and consolidate funding under the 40% reimbursement rate for all noncapital felony cases.

• Repeals IC 35-38-6 (execution procedures) and updates jury selection, witness testimony, and sentencing procedures to remove death penalty-related provisions.