McLean County Drug Court

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program (Byrne Discretionary Program) helps local communities improve the capacity of local justice systems and provides for national support efforts. This project is authorized and funded through a line item in the FY 08 Congressional Budget. Funds should be used for purposes recommended by Congress.

The McLean County Court Services will enhance the County's Drug Court and evaluate its effectiveness. The McLean County Drug Court has been in operation since 2006 through a BJA Drug Court Planning grant, with 30 current participants and a capacity of 50, and faces three gaps in services that need to be addressed. Those needs include program evaluation, mental health treatment, and family support services. While data has been collected since its inception, it has not been used to determine whether the program's goals are being met and if changes need to be made to improve the program. The County will address the mental health treatment gap in service by contracting with a licensed therapist to provide mental health assessments and individual counseling for the vast majority of drug court clients with mental health issues. Also important to the success of drug court participants is family involvement, improving relationships with family members, and improving parenting skills. Funding will be used to develop a formal family unit program and parenting classes.

NCA/NCF