WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Monroe County Council has approved using $250,000 of public safety tax revenue for a comprehensive review of the county’s criminal justice system.
The county is hiring Inclusivity Strategic Consulting and RJS Justice Services to conduct the review. The goal is to incorporate more restorative justice features into the criminal justice system, and improve efficiency. The Monroe County Commissioners have already given their approval for hiring the two consulting groups.
County Attorney Margie Rice brought the funding request to the county council on April 9th. She said two consulting firms will integrate their work into a single report. That report, she said, will form the foundation of a new county plan to divert offenders with addiction and mental health issues into support programs.
Rice and Jail Commander Sam Crowe said they hope the resulting plan will generate a stronger connection between the county and Indiana University, which would lead to new programming.
A steering committee will be created to inform the consultant’s work, and will include representatives from the community. Rice estimated the comprehensive criminal justice system review will take around 10 months.
