Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jan 2004
Source: Times Daily (Florence, AL)
Copyright: 2004 Times Daily
Contact:  http://www.timesdaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1641
Author: Russ Corey
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)

COLBERT FINALIZING COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS PROGRAM

TUSCUMBIA - Colbert County is moving closer to beginning its Community 
Corrections program.

Presiding Circuit Judge Hal Hughston received a resolution from the county 
commission last week supporting the venture.

Community Corrections involves a variety of programs for nonviolent 
criminal offenders. The programs allow offenders to serve their punishment 
in their own community.

The concept is designed to help reduce the population of the state's 
correctional facilities.

Most programs include projects such as work release and suspended work 
release, drug court, pretrial diversion and electronic monitoring.

Colbert County has actually had one facet of the program, drug court, in 
place for more than a year.

Hughston said the community corrections board is setting up the actual 
corporation and is awaiting operating money from the state Department of 
Corrections.

"We've been spending a good bit of time putting this thing together," 
Hughston said.

Community corrections reduces the cost of incarcerating criminal 
defendants, while providing opportunities for rehabilitation, the judge said.

District Attorney Gary Alverson said he sees community corrections growing 
in the future.

Alverson estimated that eventually, more than half of the people in the 
corrections system will be in some type of community-based program.

"It's an umbrella that includes a variety of different remedies and 
punishments," Alverson said.

Unlike prison, Alverson said community corrections offers not only a way to 
incarcerate a person, but also means by which to rehabilitate them and 
collect restitution and court costs from them.

"Plus, they're in this community rather than miles away," he said.

He also said community correction will be more flexible than the 
penitentiary system.

"Hopefully, at some point in the future, your penitentiary system will be 
freed up for the much more serious and violent offenders," Alverson said.

One drawback, however, is that recidivism is high among the type of 
offenders that are normally considered for community corrections.

At the same time, though, Alverson said community corrections can provide 
help for the underlying cause of many of those offenses, which Alverson 
said is mainly drug and alcohol abuse.

"Those issues can be dealt with in a community corrections setting," he said

Hughston said the county is completing renovations in the old county health 
department building off Water Street in Tuscumbia for use as an 
administrative facility for the program.

"The building is close to completion," Hughston said.

Hughston said he is optimistic the county will receive its funding from the 
Department of Corrections. While he could not say exactly how much the 
program would receive, the judge said it would be sufficient to begin the 
program.

The idea is for the program to eventually be self-supporting through the 
payment of fees by the defendants.

The community corrections program will be overseen by a board of directors 
that will include Hughston, Circuit Judge Jackie Hatcher, District Judge 
George Carpenter, Alverson, Sheriff Ronnie May, Tuscumbia lawyer Ben 
Gardner, who will represent the defense bar, and county Commissioner Emmitt 
Jimmar.

"We have a well-balanced board," Hughston said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom