A new court program designed specifically to support families may soon be coming to Pulaski County. Pulaski Circuit Court is looking into what it would take to launch a family reunification court, according to Judge Mary Welker.
“We get parents who have drug problems who wind up in CHINS cases, and then their kids become juvenile delinquents, and then we get them as adults who are married and have kids,” she told the county commissioners last week. “And I’ve seen it, and I could come up with three families. If I could tell you their names, I would.” Welker said the goal is to give families the services they need, while at the same time, holding them accountable.
The commissioners agreed to let Circuit Court apply for a $37,000 grant from the Indiana Office of Court Services. Welker said that funding wouldn’t be used to actually set up the family reunification court, but would help determine the necessary steps, along with other potential funding sources.
The commissioners also agreed to let Superior Court apply for $89,000 from the Indiana Office of Court Services to continue running its new veterans court. Dr. Natalie Daily Federer explained that the program is very close to getting its certification. “We’re requesting funds to fill the coordinator position, which is probably going to be me, as well as our drug testing contract, incentives, things like that, that we’re required to provide to that program,” she said.
Judge Welker noted that the county’s veterans court is growing. “I was at a conference for juvenile judges last week, and they said that the veterans court/problem-solving courts have a 96-to-98-percent success rate, meaning those people don’t come back,” she said. “So I think it’s something that this county wants to do, especially for our veterans.”
Daily Federer added that the high success rates experienced by problem-solving courts can be traced to intensive supervision, high accountability, and constant judicial contact. “So these are individuals that come in front of the judge, have a conversation with the judge every other week or two to three times a week, and that in itself has shown, research-wise, to be the most meaningful part of these problem-solving courts,” she explained, “and that’s why, also, all these different pieces come together and are a huge cost savings, if you can break that cycle, with families coming back through the system.”
Neither of the two grants would require a local match from the county.
