City gives initial approval for drug treatment plan
A program meant to tackle drug addiction in Bartholomew County is a step closer to reality after the Columbus City Council voted Tuesday night to support funding it. Bartholomew courts officials are asking for just over $240,000 to fund what they are calling REALM, or the Recovery Enables a Life for Men program. The court-ordered drug treatment program is patterned after a similar program for women called WRAP that the county already has been using. Mary Ferdon, director of administration for the city of Columbus, talks about how we got to this point…
Rob Gaskill is the director of residential services for Bartholomew County Corrections. He runs down the finances of the proposal…
Gaskill explains that men in the criminal justice system who meet certain criteria will be given an opportunity to take part in REALM. He says the program lasts 12 months. The first four to six months will be an “intensive in-treatment” program where attendees will be confined to a section of the jail facility. The remaining six to eight months will encompass daily reporting and electronic monitoring to make sure that these men don’t re-engage in criminal activity.
The Substance Abuse Public Funding Board is recommending a 50/50 split between the city and county to cover the costs, which will cover the last three months of this year and all of 2019. The city council voted unanimously to approve the funding on first reading. They will have the second reading on Sept. 18th. The Bartholomew County Council is expected to consider the proposal when it meets next week.