The Marshall County Commissioners gave their blessing to Marshall County Superior Court Judges Robert Bowen and Dean Colvin to apply for a Justice Partners Addictions Response Grant.
Marshall County Community Corrections Executive Director Ward Byers made the request on behalf of the judges who said the grant comes from the Office of Court Services and the Indiana Department of Mental Health. The grant provides funding to first identify individuals with substance use disorders in the public or who come through the county jail.
“What this grant is intended to do is to be able to provide necessary services to them in the jail, to divert them from the jail through existing diversion programs through the Prosecutor’s Office, or to lay out a plan for substance abuse or mental health treatment within the county jail as they roll through the court process as they are incarcerated in the county jail,” explained Byers.
An intercept model produced during a recent meeting and displayed during Monday’s county commissioners meeting showed diversion measures including utilizing grant money to increase community education and to provide law enforcement with information to give to family members when out on a call.
The grant would fund two part-time staff members with one in the Marshall County Jail who would identify an individual at booking who would qualify for rehabilitation, and a Peer Recovery Specialist who would follow that individual through recovery. Byers noted that the grant, if approved, will provide funds for necessary training.
“That’s going to require training within the jail. It’s going to require some training with officers and dispatch staff on resources and the intercept model itself. Additional dollars will support the evidence-based education and treatment.”
The commissioners approved the grant request with a unanimous vote. If awarded, the grant will be for $120,000 total for two years. The grant is for only two years. If the county wants to continue with the program moving forward, the county will need to find funding for the positions and processes.
