Calvert County will be seeking state and federal funding to establish an adult drug court, a concept that has been deemed successful in other jurisdictions. In order to procure federal grant funding, circuit court administrators must obtain a letter of support from the county’s elected governing body. During their Tuesday, March 11 meeting, the Calvert County Commissioners gave their support to the adult drug court concept.
Calvert County Circuit Court Administrator Emanuel Demedis said the adult drug court is a program that is an alternative to incarceration for non-violent criminals with drug use issues.
“The results in other counties have been very encouraging,” Demedis said.
Commissioner Evan K. Slaughenhoupt Jr. [R] noted that Calvert, like so many other communities, is plagued with a serious drug usage problem. “This [court] is not going to be a single-shot solution,” said Slaughenhoupt. “Hopefully, this will help in a measured fashion.”
“We believe our community would benefit from a program designed to assist adults who come into the court’s criminal system for matters driven by substance abuse and addiction,” the draft of the commissioners’ letter of support stated. “We hope to demonstrate our support for the value of drug court programs through in-kind assistance.”
The federal grant the county is seeking is being provided by the U.S. Department of justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
