Marshall County Community Corrections Advisory Board Updated on Client Numbers

Article submitted by Jamie Fleury, The Pilot News Staff Writer

The Marshall County Community Corrections Advisory Board/Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC) met last week where Community Corrections Director Ward Byers gave an update on clients currently under supervision.

As of the time of the quarterly report, Community Corrections was supervising 138 active clients though there have been some releases since; that number can change daily. Currently Byers is supervising the clients that belonged to a terminated employee’s caseload; approximately 50 clients. Twenty-one clients have failed to complete the program.

Board President Marshall County Superior Court No. 2 Judge Dean Colvin asked if any of those clients failed as a result of not being able to pay their fees. Byers said, “We don’t fail because you can’t pay fees. We always work with them.” Byers said that the vast majority of clients fail due to technical violations that accumulate including failed drug screens, unauthorized absences, failure to comply with curfews and other technical violations of the rules and terms packet.

Marijuana and methamphetamine continue to remain the top two drug screen violations.