Kirk's Law
Kirk's Law went into effect in Indiana on July 1, 2016.
Signed into law by then Indiana Governor Mike Pence on April 7, 2016, Kirk's law creates a registry of convicted child abusers.
It defines "crime of child abuse" and requires the division of state court administration (division) to establish an electronic child abuse registry containing information relating to persons convicted of a crime of child abuse.
The bill was spurred into action after 19-month-old, Kirk Coleman of New Paris died in the care of his babysitter.
Since then, Kirk's family pushed for legislation that created a registry of convicted child abusers.
Angie Garza, Kirk's Grandmother told local media after the bill was signed into law: "I don't want another family to have to go through what we've gone through the last year and a half. If it could save them from the heart-ache it's well worth it. It's well worth all of our hard work, it's well worth all of our tears; definitely well worth every bit of it," said Garza.
Website to search for child abuse cases now available
In partnership with the Indiana General Assembly, the Supreme Court has launched an online Child Abuse Registry. Envisioned as a tool for parents to research potential child care providers, the registry provides access to information on criminal cases resulting from child abuse and neglect charges.
The new tool is available with other online services provided by the Judicial Branch at https://public.courts.in.gov.
It is a good companion to the Family and Social Services Administration's innovative Child Care Finder website, which allows parents to search for licensed child care in their area of along their route to work, based on their needs.
Source: courts.IN.gov