Program Example

Release to the 12-month Reentry Court Project is voluntary; offenders receive notification of eligibil- ity 60 days in advance of early release. The court is intended for individuals already involved in the Community Transition Program, which was created by the Indiana state legislature in 1999 to transfer selected state inmates to a community corrections program or a program of supervision by a county probation office 60 to 180 days prior to their release date (see program example).

The court is led by the Judge, and staff, em- ployed by Allen County Community Corrections, include reentry case managers, mental health and substance abuse treatment professionals, parole and law enforcement officers, cognitive and behavioral experts, and staff from the community mental health center. The Judge has the author- ity to impose sanctions in response to technical violations using a pre-established grid developed by Allen County Community Corrections. The reentry team helps to oversee participants and makes recommendations to the judge regarding sanctions for technical violations.

As soon as an individual is released to Re- Entry Court Project, he or she is interviewed by a forensic mental health professional and com- munity corrections staff, and appears before the Judge for an initial hearing and introduction to court process. The individual is under 24-hour supervision, including six months of electronic monitoring and random home and work visits. As part of the Reintegration Plan, the participant undergoes weekly substance abuse testing and a risk and needs assessment every 90 days. On the basis of these assessments, he/she is assigned to relevant programs. The participant appears before the judge every 2–6 weeks to review compliance to the Reintegration Plan.

The reentry court, which has been approved as a supervising authority by the Indiana Parole Commission, receives funding from a SVORI