Two fresh pieces of legislation set to take effect on Saturday aim to strengthen penalties for individuals accused of domestic violence and stalking.

The existing law in Indiana currently mandates an 8-hour “cooling off” period subsequent to an arrest related to domestic violence. However, the new law extends this period to 24 hours.

The offenses covered under these laws encompass battery, domestic battery, strangulation, rape, sexual battery, invasion of privacy, criminal stalking, criminal recklessness, criminal confinement, burglary, and residential entry.

Furthermore, an additional legislation specifically addresses the criminal utilization of GPS tracking. The use of such devices is now prohibited and listed as one of the conditions that a court can impose when granting an order of protection.

According to the new law, if a tracking device is employed to stalk an individual, the offense escalates from a Level 6 to a Level 5 felony charge.​