What Is Criminal Confinement in Indiana?

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Indiana Code 35-42-3 describes criminal confinement as intentionally confining or moving someone from one place to another through fraudulent means or without consent. Criminal confinement is considered in Indiana to primarily be a Level 6 felony except in extenuating circumstances and can carry a sentence of up to six months in prison.

Indiana Code 35-42-3 notes that criminal confinement is considered a Level 5 felony if the crime is committed using a vehicle, results in bodily harm to the confined, or the confined person is less than 14 years old and is not the child of the person committing the crime. A Level 5 felony is punishable by up to one year in prison.

Criminal confinement is a Level 3 felony when it involves use of a deadly weapon, leads to the serious bodily harm of someone other than the captor or if the crime is committed on an aircraft. Level 3 felonies in Indiana carry a sentence of up to three years in prison if convicted.

The state of Indiana considers criminal confinement to be a Level 2 felony if the confinement is committed to help someone incarcerated to escape prison or is the result of hijacking a vehicle. If the person committing the crime does so with the intention to claim a ransom or uses the confined as a hostage or shield it is also considered a Level 2 felony. Level 2 felonies in Indiana carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years, according to Indiana Code 35-50-2.