By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — A grant is paying for mental health services for those at Kosciusko County Work Release.

The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Merit Board learned that news at its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 9.

Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes had Quality Correctional Care Mental Health Counselor Matthew Graham explain the services. Graham has worked as the Kosciusko County Jail’s mental health professional for two years.

“In the last few months, it has been identified that we could use that type of service also out at the work release facility and so Quality Correctional Care … has been in agreement with the sheriff and his team on how to bring somebody like me there and we have had that person there for what about a month, two months now and so in her role, we sort of do a hand-off where some of the individuals that I work with here, we’ll meet with, we’ll discuss what a relapse prevention plan looks like for those individuals that are coming out of JCAP (Jail Chemical Addiction Program) or other types of plans for those individuals that may not be coming from JCAP but may be general population,” Graham said.

Those services include everything from mental health counseling to social ones like parenting skills and helping them get their driver’s license back.

Merit Board Member Travis McConnell asked if helping individuals prevent relapses only focused on drug-related issues.

Graham answered that wasn’t the case, that plans are adjusted to met individuals’ present needs.

McConnell asked if the general population in the jail was able to receive mental health services or if it only applied to those in JCAP.

“On Wednesdays … I don’t do anything with JCAP at all,” said Graham. “Today I am 100% focused on every other person in the jail. Today … I will be stepping into D block for a period of time and working with permission from (Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Jail) Commander (1st Sgt. Shane) Coney to teach those women how to do soft conflict resolution skills as well as teaching them some ways of self-regulation (for) their own emotions.”

“So those types of resources are made available to the general population as well as needs arise,” he said.

In response to a question from Merit Board Secretary Tony Garza asking about how the mental health and social services work release position was funded, Dukes answered that a grant paid for it. The grant was created via Gov. Eric Holcomb working with the Indiana Sheriff’s Association.

The program is reliant on grant funding.

Coney said he thinks Holcomb may support additional money for the grant program, but that’s still up in the air.

“Well … your success rate’s got to be better (with work release participants getting the special mental health services) than giving them a place to sleep and feeding them for a year and opening the door and letting them go,” said Merit Board President Ron Truex.

Merit rules change

The board also approved an amendment to rules for officers running for political office.

Discussion was had at February’s sheriff’s merit board meeting about amending the rules clarifying that officers who are incumbents in political office need to notify the sheriff’s office if they plan to run for reelection.

Rules on that were already clear for non-incumbents running.

Garza, an attorney, was tasked with working with the sheriff’s office on writing a new policy.

The amendment approved reads in full:

“The officer/candidate that is currently an incumbent shall notify the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office in writing of the person’s intention for reelection. The letter shall have the same content as a new candidate’s letter and will be filed in the employee’s personnel file.”

Several officers are running for reelection for township offices this year. Those include Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Shane Bucher, Public Information Officer Sgt. Chris Francis and Senior Detective Sgt. Josh Spangle.

Bucher and Spangle attended the meeting. Spangle said his own questions about the policy prompted the discussion.

In other business, the board:

• Heard from Coney that 237 inmates were at the Kosciusko County Jail as of the time of the meeting Wednesday. He said 10 inmates were to be taken to the Indiana Department of Correction on Thursday, March 10.
• Heard from Coney that both the jail and work release were to be fully staffed soon.
• Heard that the five new police vehicles that were budgeted for are in and the office is working on getting them picked up. The office also plans to trade in four vehicles.
• Heard that the office is about 60% done with having new radios installed in police vehicles.
• Heard that the office is asking officers to be cautious with their gas usage as gas prices continue to rise.
• Heard from JCAP Coordinator Courtney Jenkins that several more organizations are offering to help with JCAP due to people viewing a documentary done on the program. One of those is Kosciusko Cares, which will offer its Strengthening Families Program to JCAP participants and their families. Another organization to help is the Bowen Center, which will offer additional mental health help to participants.
• Heard from Jenkins that the next JCAP graduation is 1 p.m. Thursday, April 14.