From Staff Reports
Beaver and Allegheny counties received more than $3.5 million in state grants to strengthen probation services, drug treatment, victim support programs.
The grants will bolster county probation services, improve treatment and support for abuse victims, and fund opioid abuse education and overdose prevention programs, according to state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-16, Ambridge.
Some of the funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) will fund rehabilitation programs that can reduce recidivism rates by offering treatment-based alternatives to jail time, Matzie said in a press release.
“Good, quality probation services can play a huge role in steering offenders back on the path to productive lives,” Matzie said. “Securing this funding is going to strengthen Beaver County’s probation services and support sentencing alternatives like drug and alcohol treatment programs, which reduce recidivism rates by targeting the root causes of ma
Commentary: Stark County Honor Court marks 10th anniversary
Taryn L. Heath and Lisa M. Williams
Special to the Canton Repository
“Thank you for your service to our country, welcome to Honor Court.”
Imagine facing a felony criminal charge: years of potential probation or prison time; struggling with addiction or mental illness; lonely and overwhelmed. Imagine being homeless, hungry, and having nowhere to turn. This describes many Stark County Honor Court participants over the years.
In 2008, seven years into the longest war our nation has endured, court systems sought to develop specialized services for returning service members battling trauma, mental health, substance abuse and reintegration into their civilian lives after service to our country.
Henry County Veterans Treatment Court to host commencement ceremony April 22 henryherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from henryherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Rotary speaker advocates for veterans
Manley
Imagine a world where returning military veterans caught up in the justice system are elevated by a collaborative approach, not ground down by the adversarial process.
That nonconfrontational world exists now, according to Judge Stephen Manley of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, who spoke to the Rotary Club of Los Altos via Zoom Feb. 18. Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) have been established for the purpose of achieving better outcomes incorporating treatment, not just exacting punishment.
In an effort to not merely afford respect, but to avoid recidivism, judges have undertaken the responsibility to develop a special court program whose goal is to successfully return individuals who served their country to their community, Manley said.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Evan Jenkins presented the budget request February 19 to the House Finance Committee.
“The Supreme Court is committed to operating a judicial system that is fiscally responsible, transparent, and accountable,” Jenkins said during the hearing. “I am putting a special emphasis during my year as chief justice to engage the public on the important work we do to guarantee a judicial system that is fair, accessible, and without bias. A civil society depends on it.”
The budget request of $139.4 million is $2.36 million less than the budget for fiscal year 2017 and less than 3 percent of total state general revenue spending.