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Probation warns of state cuts to pretrial grants, new DOC training requirements; asks council to fill staff gaps
Summary
Probation officials told the council that the Department of Correction defunded state pretrial grants for 2026 and increased evidence-based training requirements for supervising staff from 12 to 40 hours annually; the department asked the council to move certain positions into county general to preserve programs.
Monroe County probation leadership told the County Council on Sept. 11 that the Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) will end state grant funding for pretrial services in 2026 and cut community corrections grants, forcing the department to shift staff costs and seek local solutions.
Chief probation staff — including Chief Probation Officer Linda Brady and deputies Anthony Williams and Becca Streit — said the DOC reduced community corrections grants by 10% and defunded all state pretrial-service grant lines for 2026. The department reported it historically relied on a mix of local tax funding (about 58%), user fees (about 16%), and grants (about 26%) and that grant reductions would require shifting positions to county general or using user-fee balances to sustain core programs.
Brady and deputies outlined proposed county-general budget changes that would add four pretrial probation officer positions and move four problem-solving court officer salary matches from user fees to county general to maintain pretrial and problem-solving court operations. The department also described a significant increase in required training: the DOC audit recommends agencies move from 12 hours per year to 40 hours per year of ongoing training for staff who supervise participants at community corrections/probation programs, with 30 of those hours focused on evidence-based practices.
Officials said they had not yet received final supplement figures from the Indiana Supreme Court, which they expected might partially make up for DOC cuts on a one-time basis; several counties that previously ran pretrial release programs have opted out, potentially freeing state funds to be reallocated. Probation leaders cautioned the council that some user-fee funds are at “dangerous” low levels and that the department has already revised staffing and program lines in 2025 to conserve user-fee balances.
Councilors discussed using opioid settlement funds via the local Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC) as one possible local funding path; probation officials said JRAC and community corrections advisory bodies were part of ongoing funding conversations. The council advanced the probation department’s county-general and user-fee budgets as presented and asked for follow-up on grant and training developments.
