Bartholomew County had received almost the maximum amount allowable through a federal grant to establish a Problem Solving Adult Drug Court.
The U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded the county $499,423 to fund the drug court from Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2022, Bartholomew County Court Services Director Brad Barnes said. That’s just shy of the maximum of $500,000 available through the program.
With a goal of reuniting families and repairing lives, drug courts create a team focused on rebuilding lives so individuals can re-enter the community rather than continue a cycle of repeated arrests and jail time, Bartholomew Circuit Judge Kelly Benjamin said earlier this year.
Research shows that 75 percent of drug court graduates remained arrest-free two years after their cases go through the court, Benjamin said. An online directory shows that there are now 46 adult drug courts already established or in the planning stages throughout Indiana’s 92 counties.
But in announcing awarding of the grant Monday, Barnes told the Bartholomew County commissioners there are still a few more steps for the adult drug court program to be finalized.
While the federal grant will cover salaries and benefits for a case manager and probation officer, a provisional certification of the adult drug court must first be obtained before positions can be filled, Barnes said.
After the certification application is submitted next week, a site visit by representatives of the Indiana Office of Court Services will likely be held in December, he said.
It is only after a satisfactory site visit that a provisional certification can be issued, which paves the way for hiring employees, Barnes said.
Another challenge still ahead is finding additional monies to pay for both a public defender and a prosecutor for the drug court, he said.
A funding request is likely to be first brought before the Substance Abuse Advisory and Accountability Committee before it is considered by the county’s Substance Abuse Public Funding Board, Barnes said.
But both the board and committee can only make recommendations. Final decisions regarding the spending of public funds can only be made by the Columbus City and Bartholomew County councils.
If the drug court is established after the start of the new year as planned, it will likely be in session four hours a week and initially handle no more than 25 defendants at a time, Benjamin said.
Earlier this spring, Barnes emphasized that criminals such as drug dealers are not eligible for the program.
This will be Bartholomew County’s third problem-solving court, which refers candidates to courts designed to address the underlying problems that contribute to criminal behavior and provide methods of resolving those problems.
The first, formed in early 2016, was the Veteran’s Court, while the second is the new Family Recovery Court that began last spring.
Under the supervision of Superior Court 1 Judge Jim Worton, the Veteran’s Court is fully certified by the state. However, the Family Recovery Court overseen by Juvenile Magistrate Heather Mollo only has a provisional certification at this time, Barnes said.
Mollo’s new court provides opportunities to parents who suffer from substance abuse, and whose children are involved in Child In Need of Services (CHINS) cases, to engage in an intensive, structured treatment program.
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Next steps for a Problem Solving Adult Drug Court in Bartholomew County:
- December site visit by Indiana Office of Court Services representative
- Issuance of provisional certification from Office of Court Services
- Acquiring funding for a public defender and prosecutor for the court
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