MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon Municipal Court Adult Probation Department has been notified by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction that the Department’s application for a Justice Reinvestment and Incentive Grant was approved. ODRC will make grant installment payments to the Court totaling $418,754, until June 30, 2019.
According to the ODRC grant agreement, JRIG funds will be used by the Probation Department to adopt practices and programs that decrease the number of misdemeanor offenders who violate the terms of their probation supervision and serve jail time.
Judge John Thatcher said, “JRIG funds will pay all of the personnel costs for the MERIT Drug Court Coordinator and a new probation officer. Currently we have only four probation officers supervising 1,525 individuals. JRIG money will go to the Freedom Center and Behavioral Healthcare Partners to increase drug and alcohol and mental health counseling provided in court and at the county jail. JRIG funds will also pay for more drug screening, electronic monitoring of offenders and educational opportunities for them.”
Chief Probation Officer David Priest said, “The State trend is to incarcerate low level felony offenders in county jails instead of state prisons. The result will be less space available in our jail for misdemeanor offenders. We could not afford to develop these jail alternative programs without the JRIG money.”
