QUICK FACTS BAR
State DOC: Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC)
Parole Board: Indiana Parole Board
Medicaid expansion: YES (full expansion - 2015, "HIP 2.0" then expanded further)
Voting rights: Restored upon completion of full sentence including parole and probation - no early restoration
SNAP drug felony ban: Modified - must comply with probation/parole conditions to qualify
Expungement: Available - Indiana's expungement law (IC 35-38-9) expanded significantly; most misdemeanors and many felonies eligible after waiting periods; one of the more complete Midwest frameworks
Ban the box: Public employers (state agencies) - limited; no statewide private employer law; Indianapolis has a local ordinance
INTRO
Indiana's reentry landscape sits in the middle of the Midwest pack - better than Missouri or Kansas on record relief, weaker than Ohio or Michigan on voting rights and ban the box. Indiana expanded Medicaid in 2015 through its "Healthy Indiana Plan" (HIP) and most returning citizens can access coverage. Indiana's expungement law, passed in 2013 and significantly expanded since, now provides meaningful relief for most misdemeanor and many felony conviction categories after waiting periods - including, importantly, most Class D and Class C felony convictions after 8 years. Voting rights in Indiana restore only after completing the full sentence including all probation and parole - not upon release from prison - which means people on parole cannot vote. The reentry service infrastructure is strongest in Marion County (Indianapolis), Lake County (Gary/Hammond), Allen County (Fort Wayne), and St. Joseph County (South Bend). Rural southern Indiana, much of central Indiana outside Indianapolis, and the rural north have limited organized reentry services.
FIRST 30 DAYS CHECKLIST
Day 1-3:
Report to your Indiana Parole Board parole officer or county probation officer as directed. Know which agency supervises you - state parole for sentences to the DOC, county probation for locally-sentenced cases. Report on the scheduled date.
Day 1-7:
Obtain your Indiana state ID or driver's license. Indiana BMV (Bureau of Motor Vehicles): in.gov/bmv. IDOC provides a state ID to qualifying individuals at release. Bring: birth certificate or IDOC ID, Social Security card, and proof of Indiana residency.
Day 1-14:
Apply for Healthy Indiana Plan (Medicaid). Most low-income adults qualify. Apply at in.gov/fssa/hip or call 1-800-403-0864. Coverage typically begins within 30-45 days of a complete application.
Day 1-14:
Apply for SNAP (Indiana Food and Nutrition Services). Indiana has modified the federal drug felony ban - you must be complying with all probation or parole conditions to qualify. Apply at in.gov/fssa or your local Division of Family Resources (DFR) office.
Day 30+:
Determine your full discharge date. Your voting rights in Indiana restore only after completing all parole and probation. Get a copy of your sentence paperwork showing the parole or probation end date. This is your voting rights restoration date.
ID RESTORATION
Birth certificate:
Indiana State Department of Health Vital Records - in.gov/isdh/vital. Cost: $10 per copy. IDOC assists with pre-release birth certificate requests - confirm with case manager.
Social Security card:
SSA.gov/ssnumber. Free. Locate nearest office at ssa.gov/locator.
State ID / Driver's License:
Indiana BMV - in.gov/bmv. IDOC provides state IDs at release for qualifying individuals. Bring proof of identity, Social Security number, and Indiana residency. Cost: $13 for ID card.
Outstanding license issues: Indiana suspends driver's licenses for unpaid judgments, child support, and other reasons. Check your license status at in.gov/bmv before going in.
ID Assistance Programs:
Indiana Legal Services (indianalegalservices.org) statewide. Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic (nclclaw.org) in Indianapolis. St. Joseph County Reentry Court connects people to ID assistance in the South Bend area.
VOTING RIGHTS
Indiana restores voting rights only after completing the full sentence including all parole and probation. Release from prison alone does not restore voting rights.
People currently incarcerated cannot vote. People on parole cannot vote. People on probation cannot vote. Rights restore upon full discharge from all supervision.
Once fully discharged: rights restore automatically. No application required. Register at indianavoters.in.gov. Indiana does not have same-day registration - register at least 29 days before an election.
BENEFITS ACCESS
HEALTHY INDIANA PLAN (MEDICAID):
Indiana expanded Medicaid in 2015 through the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) - a modified expansion program with some distinctive features including a health savings account component (POWER Account). Most low-income adults at or below 138% of the federal poverty level qualify. Apply at in.gov/fssa/hip or call 1-800-403-0864. Processing can take 30-45 days - apply as early as possible.
SNAP (Indiana Food and Nutrition Services):
Indiana has modified the federal drug felony ban - not fully eliminated. People with drug felony convictions are eligible for Indiana SNAP IF they are complying with all probation or parole conditions. Noncompliance with supervision conditions can result in SNAP ineligibility. Apply at in.gov/fssa or your local DFR office.
TANF (Indiana TANF / IMPACT program):
Indiana maintains a modified TANF restriction for drug felony convictions - the federal ban has not been fully opted out of. Contact your local DFR for current TANF eligibility specifics.
Housing:
Indiana does not have a state-funded transitional housing program. Federal RRCs serve federal inmates under RRM Indianapolis. State-supervised reentry housing is through IDOC work release centers and contracted facilities. Marion County (Indianapolis) has the strongest nonprofit reentry housing network. The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (chipindy.org) in Indianapolis coordinates housing resources.
EXPUNGEMENT AND RECORD RELIEF
Indiana Expungement Law (IC 35-38-9) - enacted 2013, significantly expanded:
Indiana's expungement framework is one of the more complete in the Midwest for misdemeanors and lower-level felonies.
Waiting periods and eligibility by offense level:
- Arrests without conviction: eligible immediately after charges are dropped or after 1 year from arrest if no charge filed
- Misdemeanor convictions: eligible 5 years from conviction date with no new convictions
- Class D felony (now Level 6 felony) convictions - non-violent, non-sex offense: eligible 8 years from conviction date or 3 years from completion of sentence (whichever is later), with no new convictions
- Class C felony (now Level 5) and some Class B (Level 4) convictions - non-violent: eligible 8 years, with stricter conditions and court discretion
- Class A felony (Level 1-3) and violent/sex offense convictions: very limited or no eligibility; requires prosecutor consent in many cases
Effect of Indiana expungement: The record is "restricted" - it cannot be accessed by most employers, landlords, or the public. Courts and law enforcement retain access. The person can legally state they have not been convicted of the expunged offense for most purposes.
One expungement per lifetime: Indiana allows only one expungement per lifetime. This matters for people with multiple convictions - you must decide which conviction(s) to include, and you cannot petition again after using the single expungement.
Cost and process: File a petition in the court of conviction. Filing fees vary by county. The prosecutor is notified and may object. Many legal aid organizations provide assistance.
Legal resources:
- Indiana Legal Services: indianalegalservices.org / 1-844-243-8570 - statewide free legal services
- Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic: nclclaw.org / (317) 429-4131 / Indianapolis
- Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law - Expungement Clinic (Indianapolis)
- Indiana Courts Self Service Resources: in.gov/courts/selfservice
EMPLOYMENT AND LICENSING
Ban the box:
Indiana has enacted ban-the-box for state government employment - state agencies may not ask about criminal history on initial applications. Private employers in Indiana have no statewide restriction.
Indianapolis enacted a local ban-the-box ordinance for private employers with 6 or more employees in the city. Fort Wayne has a local ordinance for city employment.
Occupational licensing:
Indiana enacted licensing reform in recent years. Several Indiana licensing boards are now required to conduct individualized assessments rather than automatically denying based on conviction history. People can contact licensing boards in advance to request a preliminary determination. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) oversees many Indiana licenses.
Employment assistance:
- Indiana Career Connect: indianacareerconnect.com - Indiana's workforce development portal. WorkOne Centers statewide provide employment services including reentry programs.
- Re-Entry Court Programs: Indiana has specialized reentry court programs in several counties (Marion, Allen, Lake, and others) that include employment assistance as part of supervision.
- Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana: goodwillindy.org - employment programs with reentry focus in Indianapolis metro
KEY INDIANA REENTRY ORGANIZATIONS
Horizon House
horizonhouseindy.org / (317) 637-4635 / Indianapolis
Transitional housing and day services for returning citizens and people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis.
Indiana Reentry Coalition
inreentry.com
Statewide network of reentry service providers. Directory of member organizations by region. Starting point for finding services outside Indianapolis.
Re-Entry Inc. of Indiana
(317) 283-1200 / Indianapolis
Case management, housing navigation, and reentry support in Marion County.
Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana
goodwillindy.org / (317) 524-4313 / Indianapolis metro
Employment training, job placement, and reentry employment programs across central Indiana.
Indiana Legal Services
indianalegalservices.org / 1-844-243-8570 / Multiple offices statewide
Free civil legal services statewide including expungement, housing, and reentry legal issues. One of the most important resources for legal needs across Indiana.
RecoveryWorks Indiana
in.gov/fssa/recoveryworks
State-funded substance abuse treatment program - provides funding for substance abuse treatment for people who need it and can't afford it. Critical resource for returning citizens with substance use disorders.
Volunteers of America Indiana
voain.org / (317) 686-6200 / Indianapolis
Transitional housing, substance abuse treatment, and reentry services in central Indiana. Federal RRC operator.
STATE DOC REENTRY PROGRAMS
IDOC Reentry Programs:
IDOC operates pre-release programming at all facilities including vocational training, education, substance abuse treatment, and reentry planning. Case managers work with incarcerated individuals in the months before release.
Work Release Centers:
Indiana operates work release centers (separate from halfway houses) where eligible inmates serve the final portion of their sentence while working in the community. Indiana has 36 county-operated work release centers - one of the larger work release systems in the country. Work release placement is managed by IDOC and county jails jointly.
Education and Vocational:
IDOC provides GED preparation, vocational training (welding, building trades, culinary, and others), and college programming through Ivy Tech Community College partnerships.
RecoveryWorks:
Indiana's RecoveryWorks program funds substance abuse treatment for people involved in the criminal justice system who cannot afford treatment. IDOC connects eligible individuals with RecoveryWorks funding during reentry.
HALFWAY HOUSES LINK BLOCK
Find halfway houses and reentry housing in Indiana ->
inmateaid.com/halfway-houses/indiana/
Indiana has federal Residential Reentry Centers under BOP Residential Reentry Management Indianapolis. State-supervised reentry housing includes IDOC work release centers (county-operated - 36 statewide) and contracted community residential programs. Marion County (Indianapolis) has the highest concentration of options. Lake County (Gary/Hammond area) and Allen County (Fort Wayne) have significant secondary networks.
Frequently asked questions
Q: When do my voting rights restore in Indiana?
A: Only after completing your full sentence including all parole and probation. People on parole or probation in Indiana cannot vote - there is no early restoration. Once fully discharged, rights restore automatically. Register at indianavoters.in.gov at least 29 days before any election - Indiana does not have same-day registration.
Q: Can my Indiana felony conviction be expunged?
A: Possibly - Indiana's expungement law (IC 35-38-9) covers most Class D/Level 6 felony convictions after an 8-year waiting period (or 3 years from sentence completion, whichever is later) with no new convictions. One expungement per lifetime - choose carefully if you have multiple convictions. Contact Indiana Legal Services (indianalegalservices.org / 1-844-243-8570) for a free evaluation. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; use it wisely.
Q: How do I apply for the Healthy Indiana Plan (Medicaid) after prison?
A: Apply at in.gov/fssa/hip or call 1-800-403-0864. Indiana's Healthy Indiana Plan expanded Medicaid in 2015 and most low-income returning citizens qualify. Allow 30-45 days for processing - apply immediately upon release. If you need healthcare before coverage begins, find a Federally Qualified Health Center at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.
Q: Does Indianapolis ban the box for private employers?
A: Yes - Indianapolis has a local ban-the-box ordinance covering private employers with 6 or more employees within the city. The rest of Indiana has no such restriction for private employers. State agencies in Indiana have a ban-the-box policy for government hiring. Indianapolis WorkOne centers can connect you with employers who actively hire people with records.
Q: What are Indiana's work release centers and how do I get placed there?
A: Indiana operates 36 county work release centers - one of the larger work release systems in the country. These are separate from halfway houses and allow eligible inmates to work in the community while serving the final portion of their sentence. Placement is managed by IDOC case managers and county officials. Discuss work release eligibility with your IDOC case manager well in advance of your expected release date. TruthFinder WIDGET Search Indiana inmate and arrest records INTERNAL LINKS - inmateaid.com/halfway-houses/indiana/ - inmateaid.com/reentry/ - inmateaid.com/reentry/myths-and-facts/ EXTERNAL LINKS (new tab) - in.gov/idoc - in.gov/fssa/hip - indianavoters.in.gov - in.gov/bmv - indianalegalservices.org - indianacareerconnect.com - findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov SCHEMA BreadcrumbList + FAQPage DATA SOURCES Voting rights: IC 3-7-13-5 / Indiana SOS; ccresourcecenter.org Medicaid: kff.org expansion tracker / Indiana HIP (2015) SNAP: ccresourcecenter.org modified ban confirmed / FSSA Expungement: IC 35-38-9 (enacted 2013, expanded 2014-2022) / indianalegalservices.org Ban the box: Indiana state executive order / Indianapolis local ordinance / NELP Licensing: Indiana PLA licensing reforms / individual board statutes Organizations: verified from individual organization websites IDOC programs: in.gov/idoc/reentry Work release: IDOC Work Release Program / 36 county work release centers (in.gov/idoc) BOP RRM: RRM Indianapolis covers Indiana