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Chief Justice Rush seeks funds for integrated jail‑data system, safe‑baby courts and court security upgrades
Summary
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Rush asked the Senate committee to fund an integrated in‑jail data system, expand problem‑solving family recovery courts to include safe‑baby courts, and improve court security in counties without current coverage.
Chief Justice Loretta Rush briefed the Senate Appropriations Committee on three judiciary priorities aimed at public safety and improved case management.
First, the court asked for funding to deploy an "in‑jail" data system that links local jail management systems with Odyssey (the statewide case management system), State Police criminal history data, victim notification systems, immigration holds, supervised‑release modules and public defender filings. Rush said the project is deployed in four counties, has federal grant support to date and needs state funding to expand to additional counties; the system would enable real‑time jail population visibility, reduce erroneous releases subject to holds, and improve data for policy decisions.
Second, Rush said the judiciary seeks $1.5 million in support to expand problem‑solving courts, specifically to grow family recovery court capacity and implement "safe baby" courts — programs designed to expedite services and address substance use disorders for families with infants.
Third, she requested funding to strengthen court security; the chief justice said 17 counties currently lack courthouse security and described threats against judicial officers as rising. She proposed state incentives or matching funds to encourage local investment in courthouse safety.
Rush offered demonstrations of the in‑jail system and noted letters of support from sheriffs and the State Police. She said the maintenance cost for the system would be about $1 million annually after deployment and that federal grants have previously supported initial builds.
