Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill (left) made the announcement that Scott County had been selected to receive a $60,000 grant from his office to help inmates recover from addition and reduce their chance of returning to jail.
Scott County Prosecutor Chris Owens is at right
Scott County will be receiving a $60,000 Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) grant from the Indiana Attorney General’s office to help jail inmates recover from drug addiction.
“When I took office I said we were going to do all we can to make Scott County safer and drug free,” said Sheriff Jerry Goodin. “Since the first of the year we have made, so far, 208 drug related arrests.”
“But we can’t arrest ourselves out of crime,” he added. “We are providing some rehabilitation and second chances for inmates.
Programs he instituted this year allowed 10 inmates to earn a high school equivalency certificate and 10 who earned welding certificates and later found jobs in that field after they were released from jail.
“This grant will help us to continued providing addiction related classes and developing partnerships with industry for job training,” said Goodin.
“It’s wonderful to hear of solutions that are working coming out of Scott County,” said Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill. “Criminal justice can give a second opportunity to offenders.”
“I want Indiana to be known as the toughest on crime and the best for second chances,” said Hill. “In making this grant I hope we are sowing the seeds of opportunity in Scott County.”
Goodin said that for the initial program, eight female inmates that will be a part of the JCAP rehabilitation will be housed in a separate pod to keep them away from other inmates with addictions who might be bad influences.
“So far this has cost Scott County nothing as the inmates have done all of the re-arranging work at the jail,” said the sheriff.
He said the grant will allow the jail to partner with Centerstone Recovery Center to offer classes to combat addition and increase self esteem.
Hill noted that a similar program in Dearborn County in southeastern Indiana has produced results.
“Before JCAP there was a 43% recidivism (return to jail) rate,” said the attorney general. “After they implemented the JCAP, that rate dropped to 17%.”
“We have made great strides in helping people with chemical dependency,” said Scott County Prosecutor Chris Owens. “The people in our jail are good people who have just made a bad decision.”
The JCAP grant will allow for a limited number inmates with chemical addition to live separately from the rest of the jail, take part in addiction classes and therapy and then offer support to continue the fight against addiction after offenders return to the community.
“This is a program that has proven that it works,” said Goodin.