Bartholomew County is seeking three grants totaling $30,000 to help supplement funding for three problem-solving courts.
The county is asking the Indiana Office of Court Services for $10,000 each for the new Family Dependency Court, overseen by Juvenile Magistrate Heather Mollo, as well as the new Adult Drug Court presided over by Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin.
In addition, the county is seeking a third-consecutive $10,000 grant for Veterans Court, which has been presided over by Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton since March 2016.
Rather than focus on punishment, problem-solving courts seek to promote outcomes that benefit the litigants and their families, as well as victims and society, said Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush.
So far, the Adult Drug Court has a $500,000 federal grant that will help fund the court from now through 2022.
But the smaller grants now being sought are used to pay for expenses not covered by the larger grants, according to Brad Barnes, Bartholomew County Court Services director.
That funding will support incentives to motivate and reward participation, pay drug-testing costs, as well as cover travel and lodging expenses for staff training, Barnes said.
On Monday, the Bartholomew County Commissioners approved the applications for the three grants.
Family Recovery Court, which recently received full state certification, has the goal of eventually reuniting recovering drug addicts with their children, Bartholomew Circuit Judge Kelly Benjamin said.
Adult Drug Court creates teams focused on rebuilding lives, so individuals can re-enter the community rather than continue a cycle of repeated arrests and jail time, Benjamin said.
The Adult Drug court should begin within the next couple of weeks after the program received provisional certification from the state, Barnes said. Full certification will be sought next year, he said.
Veterans Court is an intensive 18-month course designed primarily to assist nonviolent, first-time offenders with military experience with assistance in restoring a productive purpose in life, Worton said.
While the grant applications are due on April 15, Barnes said the county usually learns whether they’ll receive the grant about a month after the application is received. If approved, the money will become available on July 1, he said.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Supreme Court has announced there are now 100 certified problem-solving courts in Indiana, including the three here in Bartholomew County. Fifty of Indiana’s 92 counties have now established one or more problem-solving courts.
Besides veterans, adult drug use and family recovery, there are also Indiana problem-solving courts for mental health and domestic violence, according to a Supreme Court news release.
Individuals who wish to participate in a problem-solving court should contact their attorney to find out if they are eligible. Counties that do not have a problem-solving court may transfer the supervision of the case to a county with a problem-solving court for program participation.
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Problem-solving courts began in Indiana in the 1990s to accommodate justice involved individuals with specific needs and problems that were not or could not be adequately addressed in traditional courts. These courts seek to promote outcomes that will benefit not only the defendant, but the victim and society as well.
Problem-solving courts were developed as an innovative response to deal with individuals’ needs, including drug abuse and mental illness.
Results from studies show that these types of courts are having a positive impact on the lives of justice involved individuals and victims – and in some instances provide cost-savings for jails and prisons.
Source: Indiana Office of Court Services
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