How Release Dates Are Calculated in Indiana

If you or someone you love is doing time in Indiana, the release date is driven by two things: the sentence the court imposed and the credit time class assigned. Indiana uses determinate sentencing, meaning the court sets a specific number of years. The credit time class then determines how much of that sentence must be served before release. The classes run from Class A, where roughly half the sentence is served, to Class D, where the full sentence is served with no reduction.

This guide walks through how Indiana calculates a release date step by step: how the felony level and the credit class connect, what each class means in practice, how disciplinary actions can change the class, the Case Plan Credit Time program and the additional credits it offers, and what post release supervision looks like. None of this is legal advice, but it will help you read your own time the way the Indiana Department of Correction does.

Here is the short version.

Indiana uses determinate sentencing. The court sets a sentence within the statutory range for the felony level, and the Indiana Department of Correction applies credit time to calculate the Earliest Projected Release Date. Most people are assigned to Class A or Class B based on the felony level. Class A earns one day of credit for each day served, resulting in approximately 50 percent of the sentence served. Class B earns one day of credit for every three days served, resulting in 75 percent of the sentence served. Credit restricted felons are in Class C and earn one day per six days, serving roughly 85 percent. People who lose credit for disciplinary violations fall to Class D and earn no credit. After release, almost everyone is placed on parole supervision for two years.

Step one: felony levels and sentencing ranges

Indiana revised its felony classification system in 2014 and now uses six numbered felony levels plus a separate category for murder.

Level 1 felonies are the most serious classified offenses, carrying a sentence of 20 to 40 years, with an advisory sentence of 30 years. Level 2 felonies carry 10 to 30 years, advisory 17 and a half years. Level 3 felonies carry 3 to 16 years, advisory 9 years. Level 4 felonies carry 2 to 12 years, advisory 6 years. Level 5 felonies carry 1 to 6 years, advisory 3 years. Level 6 felonies, the least serious, carry 6 months to 2 and a half years, advisory 1 year. Murder, which sits outside the level system, carries 45 to 55 years, and may also result in life without parole or a death sentence.

The judge sets the actual sentence within this range, using the advisory sentence as a starting point and adjusting for aggravating or mitigating factors. Credit time is applied to that sentence by the Department of Correction to produce the Earliest Projected Release Date.

Step two: credit time classes and how they determine time served

Once a sentence is set, the Department assigns the person to a credit time class. The class determines how many days of credit are earned for each day served, and by extension what fraction of the sentence must be served.

Class A applies to persons serving sentences for Level 6 felonies or misdemeanors who are not in the credit restricted felon category. In Class A, a person earns one day of credit time for each day served. Total credit time equals the actual days served plus the credit days earned, and the result is that the person serves approximately 50 percent of the sentence before release.

Class B applies to persons serving sentences for Level 1 through Level 5 felonies and murder who are not in the credit restricted felon category. In Class B, a person earns one day of credit time for every three days served. The result is that the person serves approximately 75 percent of the sentence.

Class C applies to credit restricted felons, a category defined by statute for certain serious sex and child offenses. In Class C, a person earns one day of credit time for every six days served. The result is that the person serves approximately 85 percent of the sentence.

Class D is the disciplinary class. No credit time is earned while in Class D. A person stays in Class D until they have demonstrated the conduct necessary to be reviewed for reassignment to a higher class. Time in Class D is served day for day.

All of these classes apply to time actually served in prison or jail, including time spent awaiting trial. Credit time does not accrue while on parole or probation.

Step three: disciplinary reassignment and class reviews

A person's credit time class is not fixed for the entire sentence. Conduct during incarceration can move the class up or down.

A person who is not classified as a credit restricted felon can be reassigned from Class A or B down to Class C or Class D for violating Department of Correction rules or conditions of a community transition program. A person who is classified as a credit restricted felon can be reassigned to Class D for the same violations. A violation of parole or probation conditions alone cannot trigger reassignment to a lower class.

Before anyone is reassigned to a lower class, the Department must provide a hearing where the person can address the allegation. The person can waive that hearing.

Class assignments must be reviewed at least once every six months to determine whether a person should be moved to a higher class. This means a person who lost credit due to a disciplinary violation has a regular opportunity to work back up. A credit restricted felon, however, can never be reassigned to Class A or Class B, no matter how long they maintain good conduct. Their ceiling is Class C.

The practical effect is significant. A person who maintains Class A for the full sentence serves roughly half. A person who spends time in Class D earns no credit during that period, extending the projected release date by the amount of credit that was not earned.

Step four: the Case Plan Credit Time program

In addition to the standard credit time classes, Indiana launched a program in 2022 that can add further credits tied to an individual plan for rehabilitation and reentry.

The Case Plan Credit Time program, introduced by the Indiana Department of Correction, automatically enrolls all individuals admitted after January 1, 2022, who have more than 180 days remaining until their Earliest Projected Release Date. The program is built around an individual case plan developed from the Indiana Risk Assessment System, which evaluates each person's criminogenic needs across several areas.

Under the Case Plan Credit Time program, a person can earn up to one additional day of credit for every three days spent under the case plan. These credits are awarded for making progress on the case plan, which may include addiction recovery programs, educational goals, vocational training, work assignments, and other programming designed to reduce the risk of reoffending after release. People with mental health conditions, cognitive disorders, or medical issues that prevent formal programming can earn credit based on treatment progress and behavior.

These additional credits layer on top of the standard credit time class and can advance the Earliest Projected Release Date further. The program is a holistic approach, with the goal of having each person leave prison better prepared for life in the community.

Step five: educational credits and pretrial credit

Beyond the standard credit time and the case plan program, Indiana allows credit for two additional categories that can reduce time served.

Educational credits are awarded for completing approved programs including earning a GED, completing vocational training, and other qualifying educational achievements. These credits reduce the sentence in addition to the standard good time credit.

Pretrial credit covers the time a person spends in jail or confined while awaiting trial or sentencing. That time counts toward the sentence and is part of the total credit time calculation. A person who spent six months in county jail before sentencing is credited with those days, moving the Earliest Projected Release Date earlier by that amount. The credit class assigned for time in pretrial custody is based on the most serious offense charged at that time, which may later be adjusted if the conviction is for a different or less serious offense.

Step six: release and post release supervision

When the Earliest Projected Release Date arrives, the person is released, but for most people the sentence is not entirely over.

Almost everyone released from an Indiana prison is placed on parole supervision. For sentences imposed after June 1991, the standard parole term is two years. The Indiana Parole Board administers parole, and a parole officer provides supervision and support in the community. Parole conditions typically include regular reporting, restrictions on travel and associations, and participation in any required programming. A parole violation can result in revocation and return to prison.

There are exceptions. A person who has lost all credit time due to disciplinary violations and serves the full sentence without credit has completed the sentence entirely and is released with no parole supervision. People with split sentences, where the court divided the term between prison and probation, are released to probation rather than parole.

Before release, eligible inmates may be transferred to the Community Transition Program, which moves them to community-based supervision in their home county between 60 and 180 days before the Earliest Projected Release Date. This pre release period allows the person to begin working, find housing, and reconnect with family while still under supervision.

Putting it together: a worked example

Here is how the pieces fit, using simple examples. None of these numbers are legal advice, but they show the method.

Take a person sentenced to 10 years for a Level 3 felony. Level 3 is not a credit restricted offense, so the person is initially in Class B. Class B earns one day of credit per three days served, meaning the person serves 75 percent of 10 years, or 7 and a half years. If the person also participates in the Case Plan Credit Time program, additional credits of up to one day per three days can further reduce the term. And if the person spent six months in pretrial detention before sentencing, those days are credited against the 10-year sentence, moving the Earliest Projected Release Date earlier. After release, the person serves a two year parole term.

Now change the offense to a Level 6 felony with a 2-year sentence. The person is in Class A. One day of credit per day served means the person serves approximately one year. With additional case plan credits and any pretrial credit, the actual time in prison could be shorter still. On release, the two year parole term begins.

Now consider a credit restricted felon sentenced to 20 years for a qualifying offense. The person starts in Class C. One day per six days means roughly 85 percent of the sentence, or about 17 years. This person cannot be promoted to Class A or B regardless of conduct. On release, the two year parole term follows.

The bottom line for Indiana

Indiana release dates come down to the felony level and the credit time class. The felony level determines the Class B or Class A starting point for most people. Class A earns one day per day and results in about 50 percent served. Class B earns one day per three days and results in 75 percent served. Credit restricted felons in Class C earn one day per six days and serve about 85 percent. Disciplinary violations can drop a person to Class D, where no credit is earned. The Case Plan Credit Time program can add further reductions of up to one day per three days under the plan. After release, most people serve two years on parole.

The practical takeaways are clear. First, identify the felony level and whether the offense qualifies as a credit restricted offense, because those two facts set the starting class and the time to be served. Second, maintain the credit time class through good conduct, because losing credit to a disciplinary violation directly extends the projected release date. Third, engage with the Case Plan Credit Time program, because those additional credits can meaningfully advance the Earliest Projected Release Date. Ask the Indiana Department of Correction for the sentence computation showing the Earliest Projected Release Date and the current credit time class.