Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Criminal Justice Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Recovery court requests opioid‑fund support to pay defense counsel for program serving high‑risk offenders
Summary
Recovery court representatives asked Geary County to allocate opioid settlement dollars to pay defense counsel ($26,000 for a year) for a new high‑intensity adult recovery court; presenters described program structure and early caseload.
A representative of the county’s newly launched recovery court requested allocation of opioid settlement funds to cover defense counsel fees for the program. The presenter said the recovery court — a drug and alcohol court for high‑risk, high‑need adult offenders — began operations on Jan. 1, 2025, and relies on multiple funding streams (KDOC funding tied to Senate Bill 123 and other grants) but has a gap that opioid settlement dollars could fill.
The presenter said the recovery court model used in Dickinson County was replicated for Geary County and emphasized the program’s collaborative structure: the judge runs recovery court (Judge Rosier was named), and participating agencies include the county attorney, defense counsel, law enforcement, drug‑and‑alcohol treatment providers and mental‑health services. The program follows a phased approach; the first phase is intensive (90 days), requires weekly court appearances and multiple treatment and supervision conditions, and the shortest program length to graduation is about 14 months.
The request to commissioners was specific: use opioid funds to pay defense counsel at $500 per week for 52 weeks, totaling $26,000, because KDOC funds cannot be used for defense counsel under program rules. Program staff said the recovery court pays for high‑frequency drug testing and other services and that drug‑testing panels have expanded (presenter described panels of 16+ analytes), increasing costs.
The presenters described positive early outcomes, cited community support from law enforcement and the jail (which administers weekend UAs), and invited commissioners to observe recovery court sessions. Commissioners expressed support and asked for additional information; no formal vote or allocation was made during the work session.
