MONROE - The Green County Justice Center will open a drug court next July thanks to a Department of Justice grant to promote rehabilitation for drug offenders.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice awarded Green County a Treatment Alternatives and Diversion Grant for $122,900 per year for five years to establish the court.
Circuit Court Judge James Beer, who helped prepare the grant proposal, said the drug court program would be open to any offenders facing drug-related offenses in Green County.
"It will be voluntary," Beer said. "People who choose to participate might not have to go to prison, or they might not get a felony conviction."
Beer said the program, which he estimated would take 18 months for participants to complete, will serve as an alternative sentence to prison for drug offenders.
Participants will be required to attend weekly court sessions and meet with counselors to discuss their sobriety. Offenders who repeatedly fail to remain drug-free for these sessions will face a traditional sentence of prison time.
"We hope that, in the long run, it will save these people's lives, reduce crime, return people to their families and help people live a drug-free life," Beer said.
Beer added that the drug court would reduce the county's jail population and potentially reduce the number of petty crimes such as burglaries.
The program is modeled after similar programs in Dane and Grant counties, as well as others throughout the nation.
With the amount of money provided by the grant, Beer said the program will be able to sustain 15 to 17 participants each year.
"In a great world, we'd have a lot more resources to work with," Beer said.
The grant also allows the court to hire an additional counselor and potentially a psychiatrist.
According to data from the Green County Human Services Department, drug use in Green County has steadily increased in the last four years, and is trending toward a nearly 50 percent increase in 2016 from 2015.
"We need to try something else, because what we've been doing hasn't worked," Beer said.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice awarded Green County a Treatment Alternatives and Diversion Grant for $122,900 per year for five years to establish the court.
Circuit Court Judge James Beer, who helped prepare the grant proposal, said the drug court program would be open to any offenders facing drug-related offenses in Green County.
"It will be voluntary," Beer said. "People who choose to participate might not have to go to prison, or they might not get a felony conviction."
Beer said the program, which he estimated would take 18 months for participants to complete, will serve as an alternative sentence to prison for drug offenders.
Participants will be required to attend weekly court sessions and meet with counselors to discuss their sobriety. Offenders who repeatedly fail to remain drug-free for these sessions will face a traditional sentence of prison time.
"We hope that, in the long run, it will save these people's lives, reduce crime, return people to their families and help people live a drug-free life," Beer said.
Beer added that the drug court would reduce the county's jail population and potentially reduce the number of petty crimes such as burglaries.
The program is modeled after similar programs in Dane and Grant counties, as well as others throughout the nation.
With the amount of money provided by the grant, Beer said the program will be able to sustain 15 to 17 participants each year.
"In a great world, we'd have a lot more resources to work with," Beer said.
The grant also allows the court to hire an additional counselor and potentially a psychiatrist.
According to data from the Green County Human Services Department, drug use in Green County has steadily increased in the last four years, and is trending toward a nearly 50 percent increase in 2016 from 2015.
"We need to try something else, because what we've been doing hasn't worked," Beer said.