WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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As the opioid crisis continues to effect communities across Indiana, the number of incarcerated individuals in county jails and state prisons has grown.
In Monroe County, that means more prisoners in a facility built thirty years ago. Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain said his office is working to reduce over-crowding, as part of a legal agreement with the Indiana Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Usually, Swain said, when a jail starts to experience over-crowding, they will move prisoners to different jails. With area jails at, or over, capacity, that’s not an option.
Additionally, the demographics of prisoners are shifting as well. Swain said the number of female prisoners is increasing, as drug-related charges go up.
Swain said, in Monroe County, he’s deployed different resources to help combat recidivism, but he says drug-treatment programs, like Recovery Works, have seen funding cuts from the state’s legislature.
Job training programs and drug treatment programs are largely funded by the state legislature. Swain said his office has been working with Centerstone to implement the Recovery Works program. The state legislature will reconvene in January. 2019 is a so-called long, budgetary session.
