GOSHEN — Two sheriff’s office positions that would have otherwise been eliminated were saved by the Elkhart County Council.
During Thursday night’s meeting, Elkhart County Sheriff Jeff Siegel explained to the council that state grants that previously funded two intensive case manager positions for the inmate programming ward were eliminated during the legislative session due to budget shortfall.
The case manager positions, costing $112,305, have been funded by the state since 2016 and since then have paved the way for a barrage of classes at the Elkhart County Jail on anger management, domestic violence, job readiness, life after incarceration, substance abuse, victim impact and more, over 20 different programs.
“I know the general policy has been ‘grant goes away, the position goes away,’ but I think this is a significant thing that happens in our correctional facility and I think we need to set that policy to the side on this matter,” Siegel said.
Programming at the correctional facility has been ongoing since 2006 and was funded by the county before the grant funding was made available. Since 2013, the facility has provided programming to 22,000 inmates and the recidivism rate in the programming ward is 22% as compared to the statewide rate of 36.5%.
“It looks like these programs might be making a difference in helping minimize the people in our county being victimized,” Siegel said.
There are 66 grant funded positions in Elkhart County government. Elkhart County Councilman Dave Hess said the county currently has no real policy to determine which positions to fund and not fund as grants are eliminated by the state. Elkhart County Commissioner Suzie Weirick said it’s not the first grant that’s been eliminated and she doubts it will be the last.
State Sen. Blake Doriot (R-Goshen) said last state session, the legislature realized they would be $2.4 billion short on the $22 billion annual budget and had to cut 5% across the board.
Doriot was emotional speaking to the council about his family’s experiences with the correctional facility and their programming.
“These programs work,” he said. “And I request that you fund it and I will do my best to get the funding from the state if at all possible.”
His stepson and other people who have previously been in the jail or worked with the program, also spoke.
“I think the program ward is good for the people who are inside the jail, who are inmates there, but I think it’s also good for us,” said Cory Martin, executive director for the Elkhart County Jail Ministry. “I think as citizens of Elkhart County, if we want to be tough on crime, we want people to leave incarceration better versions of themselves.”
Council members in attendance voted unanimously in favor of funding the positions, but acknowledged that a policy will have to be developed for future previously funded grant positions.
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