[3/14/04]A lack of computerized Warren County Jail records stalled an application for money to pay for a local drug court, but other developments make waiting advisable anyway, Circuit Judge Frank Vollor said.

The information necessary to apply for a federal grant Vollor had identified as a potential source of funding to help start a drug court program here could not be organized as necessary by the Feb. 24 deadline, Vollor said.

The federal grant, if sought and received by this year’s deadline, could have resulted in up to $450,000 in startup funding for a drug court being available for three years beginning as early as July 1.

“They asked for a lot of statistical information that would’ve taken us months to gather, or a good bit of time,” Vollor said. “We didn’t have the time to document all that. That was the main reason we didn’t apply for it.”

A statewide committee is developing rules for drug courts, however, and any such program started here would be subject to those rules, he added. Project manager Joey Craft of the state’s Administrative Office of Courts did not give a timetable for completion of those rules, but they are expected to be in place as early as this spring.

“We’d like to see what those rules are before we adopt a court,” Vollor said.

Some of the information the federal-grant application requested would have required someone to “manually have to go through jail records,” Vollor said.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, who administers the county jail, said his office had provided Vollor’s with jail records as requested but had received no request for support in organizing information for any grant application that may be filed.

“I very much support the idea of a drug court,” Pace said. “Whatever is necessary to facilitate this, we certainly will do.”

Department of Justice information on the federal grant that was being considered says it “provides seed funding for drug courts and not long-term direct support; thus the overall objective is to build capacity at the state and local levels.”

The state government has strongly encouraged county and local authorities to establish drug courts but has provided little to no funding for the projects. The idea has gained bipartisan support at the national and state levels.

Washington County received a $500,000 Justice grant for a drug court in 2003. President Bush’s fiscal 2005 budget request includes $70 million for such programs nationwide, up from $45 million two years earlier.

Thirteen of the state’s 22 circuit court districts, including the 9th District, and four of its 19 county youth courts have drug court programs operating or planned, Craft said. One municipal court in the state also has a drug court, he added.

Vollor added that at least two pending legislative bills could provide state funding for drug court programs.

The programs provide intensive supervision for those accused of nonviolent, non-drug-sale crimes deemed rooted in addiction. They also typically bring to bear more drug-testing and -treatment resources. And a Justice report has called for the programs to improve their information-tracking and -sharing capabilities nationwide.

Vollor said his office is continuing to research other states’ programs and compile the information that grant applications typically request.

“We’re still working on it to try to get close, so that when the rules do come down we can implement something,” he said.