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Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct—A Beginner’s Guide

The law enforcement agencies exist to maintain peace in a society, especially in public. Any attempt made to disturb this peace is punishable under law. Every citizen has a fundamental right to live their lives peacefully, and its government’s job to guarantee it. This is why Indiana has strict disorderly conduct laws.

Let’s go over some of them:

What is disorderly conduct?

Disorderly conduct refers to disruptive public behavior. As a citizen, you can’t recklessly/intentionally get involved in actions that interfere with another citizen’s ability to enjoy a public space. Common examples include being unnecessarily noisy, loitering, fighting, or doing anything that disturbs someone else’s peace. Although disorderly conduct could result from a wide range of activities, alcohol, and drugs are common.

What is public intoxication?

Public intoxication refers to being visibly drunk in a public place. In some states, it’s known as public drunkenness. According to the law, the accused must fulfill the following three criteria to be punished for public intoxication:

  1. They should be under the influence of controlled substances, alcohol, or drugs.
  2. They must be present in a public place.
  3. Their behavior must cause disturbance to another person.

Public intoxication is illegal to prevent such individuals from hurting themselves as well as others. However, if you’re intoxicated in a private space, the same laws don’t apply.

What does the law of Indiana say?

According to the state law of Indiana, public intoxication is a Class B misdemeanor. It usually results in jail time of up to 180 days and a $1000 dollar fine. Other than that, disorderly conduct refers to engaging in tumultuous conduct, disrupting a lawful assemble, and making unreasonable noises. This too, classifies as a Class B misdemeanor. However, disorderly conduct may become a Level 6 felony if it takes place within airport premises, near a burial site, or during a funeral or memorial procession.

In Indiana, it is illegal to be in a public place under the influence of intoxication if:

  1. It endangers your life
  2. It endangers someone else’s life
  3. It disrupts peace.
  4. Harasses/alarms/annoys another person.

Have you been accused of public intoxication or disorderly conduct? Keep calm. It’s not the end of the world.

DeLaughter Bail Bonds will help you get out of jail lawfully. Get in touch with our bail bond agents in Indiana, and they’ll help you post bail in no time!

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