LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Lancaster County is planning to implement two supervision programs for nonviolent offenders in order to shrink the jail population.
County commissioners approved the programs Thursday, the Lincoln Journal Star reported (https://bit.ly/2mt2vha ). The county jail has been nearly full since June, prompting officials to find alternative programs so as to avoid spending more to house inmates in nearby county jails.
The first program starting this month is called intensive supervision diversion and is aimed at young adults ages 18 to 25 who were arrested for drug distribution like marijuana or prescription pills. The offenders would be supervised in the existing drug court program, which offers treatment for people struggling with addiction.
“They are young kids whose brains are not fully developed and are making very poor decisions,” county Community Corrections Director Kim Etherton said.
If participants receive new criminal charges, they will get kicked out of the program. If they’re successful in the program, they won’t have convictions on their adult records or face court punishment.
The second program, which is still under development, will be aimed at people with three or more convictions for drunken driving. Enrolled offenders will take Breathalyzer tests twice daily, receive random drug tests and potentially wear monitors that test their sweat for alcohol. The program is modeled after the 24/7 Sobriety Program created by the South Dakota attorney general.
“This isn’t treatment. This is just monitoring,” Etherton said.
Participants who fail the breath tests will get jail time, and not showing up for a test could lead to an arrest warrant.
Both programs will require participants to pay a fee.
Etherton said the initiative will require hiring one full-time and four part-time employees, but will eventually save the county money due to the smaller jail population.
County commissioners also approved applying for a $1 million matching federal Bureau of Justice Assistance Smart Re-entry Grant.
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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, https://www.journalstar.com
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