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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Supreme Court has awarded more than $450,000 in court reform grants for the 2013-2014 grant cycle.
Courts across the state were given funds to help launch innovative programs or streamline operations to eliminate redundancies. A total of 37 courts – a higher number than usual – applied for funding this year, with fifteen being awarded a grant.
Projects receiving grants focused on the implementation of the Odyssey Case Management System in Hancock and St. Joseph counties; establishing a Veterans Treatment Court in LaPorte County and a Domestic Violence Problem-Solving Court in Lawrence County; and doing a study on the rehabilitation of D felons in Starke Circuit Court.
Both Owen and Fountain counties were awarded funds to purchase equipment to remotely conduct hearings so the local courts can reduce the costs associated with transporting incarcerated defendants to the courthouse.
This year, the Supreme Court awarded $486,196 in court reform grants. Money for the grant program comes from Title IV-D, reimbursements the court receives for expenses incurred in obtaining overdue child support payments.
The recipient courts and grant amounts are as follows:
1. Dearborn Superior Courts Probation, $40,000
2. Floyd County, $35,828
3. District #23 (Floyd, Clark and Scott counties), $40,000
4. Grant County, $40,000
5. Hancock County, $20,000 and $37,000
6. Hendricks County, $8,370
7. LaPorte County, $40,000
8. Lawrence County, $40,000
9. Lake County, $30,000
10. Madison County, $20,000 and $37,000
11. Owen County, $10,093
12. St. Joseph Probate Court, $10,000
13. St. Joseph County, $28,280
14. Starke Circuit Court, $30,000
15. Fountain Circuit Court, $19,625
Along with getting more applications, the caliber of proposals was very high, according to the Supreme Court, making narrowing the pool and choosing the recipients difficult.
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