SCOTT COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin vowed to crack down on drugs when he took office on Jan. 1.
Since then, there have been 110 drug-related charges in the county, which is nearly twice as many as the 60 charges in the same amount of time last year.
“We are locking a lot of people up right now,” Goodin said.
The county has been battling a heroin epidemic, an HIV outbreak, and it has an old jail that's bleeding money.
Goodin said those are all driving forces behind a new drug rehabilitation program starting soon inside the Scott County Jail.
“Two years or three years down the road, we are going to be arresting a lot less people, because we're giving those people a chance to recover," he said. "And a lot of those folks are revolving door criminals."
The program will start with six to eight weeks of education inside the jail, followed by three to four weeks of community service. It will rely on volunteer instructors from churches and teachers who are retired.
“(Inmates) are going to learn civics," Goodin said. "They’re going to learn how to do a budget and all the things to earn their GED."
The final step will help inmates land a job and earn a paycheck during the day. They'll go back to jail at night, where they'll pay for food, water and electricity. The rest of their cash will go into an account they can access once they’re released.
Goodin said education and resources are keys to fighting addiction.
“That's how we will stop the revolving door, and I'll tell you, it's going to work,” Goodin said.
Jobs for inmates outside the jail will help solve problems inside.
The old section of the Scott County Jail will be turned into a minimum security facility and will able to hold nearly double the number of inmates. Goodin said it will save tax payers more than $5 million in what would be necessary jail upgrades and even more in day-to-day operating costs.
Classes for the drug rehab program will be held in the minimum security facility. The program should start by June in hopes of stopping drug addiction from becoming a life sentence.
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