JAIL TO UNVEIL SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT FACILITY

Center Would Be a First for County

An intensive substance abuse center at the Daviess County Detention
Center could open as early as this month, offering select inmates a
chance to deal with drug and alcohol problems before being released.

Since July, when Daviess County Jailer David Osborne first said he
intended to turn a vacant building at the jail complex into a
treatment center, he has gathered support from elected leaders,
substance abuse professionals and lawmakers. The jail has offered
12-step programs for years, but the separate building would require a
strictly regimented lifestyle with counseling and monitoring -- the
first program of its kind in Daviess County.

"Anybody who knows about this problem knows this is what it's going to
take," Osborne said. "Hardly a day goes by that a family member
doesn't come in here ... and they're just devastated by their loved
one's addiction. It'll just pay dividends in the whole community."

A sprinkler system must be installed and the plans approved in
Frankfort before the building can open. Daviess Fiscal Court has
allocated the money. The jail must hire a project coordinator and has
narrowed the search to three people. The program could begin running
either this month or February.

Osborne and a committee working to form the center have examined
treatment facilities throughout the state. So far the best option
appears to be something similar to the therapeutic community model at
the Green River Correctional Complex in Central City, Osborne said.

That program is slightly larger than the 24 positions Daviess County
would offer. The program combines a 12-step program with intensive
classes that explore a participant's history and lifestyle while
working to change negative aspects through hours of daily classes,
which could last for several months.

Participants would be inmates who are nonviolent and minimum security
risks. The program would begin with men but could eventually expand to
include women, he said. The program will not work with everyone but
could make a significant difference, he said; it has a 40 percent
success rate.

The building, which opened in 1996, sits on the front lawn of the jail
complex but has been vacant for about five years. The building will be
staffed around the clock.

Since announcing his intentions of creating such a center, Osborne has
received more than 100 letters of support, including one from U.S.
Rep. Ron Lewis, a Cecilia Republican.

Support has also been offered by an extensive network of local
resources including the Lighthouse Recovery program, Community
Solutions for Substance Abuse, RiverValley Behavioral Health and an
offer of pro bono work from Counseling Associates among others, said
Gary Hall, senior director at RiverValley's Regional Prevention Center.

Hall is a member of a committee working at the jail to start the
program. Statistics indicate the majority of people in jail have a
history of alcohol and drug problems, Hall said.

"To me its a primary indicator that a treatment service would be
justifiable," Hall said. "This is something that a lot of people don't
understand."

Substance abuse treatment correlates with a decrease in crime, Hall
said. Most methamphetamine addicts return to jail after serving their
first sentence, but that could be prevented for many with good
treatment and adequate followup, Hall said.

A misperception among many people is that treatment is only successful
when people voluntarily seek it. Research indicates that people
respond to treatment when they are threatened with divorce, loss of a
job or, especially, jail time, he said.

Other changes at the jail this year will include:

. More Indiana inmates. Daviess County has negotiated a deal to house
as many as 110 Indiana inmates in Daviess County. The daily payments
are $35 - an annual revenue increase of $400,000 - compared to the
roughly $25 per day for convicted Kentucky inmates. Plus, Indiana will
pay for the inmate's medical expenses, which will save Daviess County
money. Indiana will also transport the inmates to and from the jail,
saving time and money.

. The jail is using two electronic monitoring bracelets on a trial
basis and plans to expand their usage in the coming year. The
equipment would keep tabs on select inmates staying at home instead of
in the jail. The bracelets notify authorities if the wearer gets too
far away from a receiver connected to a grounded phone line at his
home or job. The devices have produced positive results. The program
would allow low-risk inmates to be monitored without the county paying
for food, housing and medical expenses.

. The jail is beginning an in-house anonymous tip line. Each inmate's
common area is already equipped with a phone, and the new program
would allow inmates to report contraband and weapons in the jail or
tips about crime in the community.

. The Good News Jail & Prison Ministry is expected to begin this
month or in February. The program places a full-time chaplain inside
the jail who is available for inmates and medical staff. A local
minister has been chosen and is undergoing training.

. Sometime this year two secure fenced areas will be constructed near
two steel doors at the main jail building. The fenced areas will
provide a safe alternative for inmates in the event of a temporary
jail evacuation.

. Sometime this spring, the jail will begin a large on-site garden in
the large grassy area between the jail and the Ohio River. Inmate
labor will be used to grow produce inside a fenced area. The program
will help feed inmates, and extra produce will be donated to local
charities.