Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Criminal Justice Deflection topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Marion County launches ‘Restore Court’ pilot to pair restitution with treatment for property offenses
Summary
The county described a new Restore Court pilot using deflection and court‑supervised work crews to pay restitution while connecting defendants to treatment; program complements existing LEAD deflection and court‑based specialty dockets.
Marion County prosecutors, public defenders and law enforcement described a pilot “Restore Court” docket on Jan. 30 that pairs restitution‑based court supervision, paid work crews and treatment referrals for eligible property offenses.
District Attorney Paige Clarkson and sheriff’s office leaders said Restore Court is a limited pilot launched with funds from House Bill 4002 and local coordination. The program targets non‑person property offenses where restitution is owed and seeks to provide an alternative to traditional prosecution: participants perform work on county “restore crews” (park cleanup, graffiti abatement and similar community projects), earn money applied to victims’ restitution, and receive coordinated access to treatment and case management. If participants complete the program’s requirements, the county said the related charges can be dismissed and expunged.
Why it matters: county leaders framed Restore Court as a court‑supervised pathway that both addresses victim restitution and creates a treatment referral through the criminal‑justice system. Marion County’s LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program and the county’s deflection navigators were cited as existing, non‑court alternatives; Restore Court is intended for people who enter the formal court process and owe restitution, or who otherwise would remain on a long backlog of unrepresented cases.
DA Clarkson said the pilot began Sept. 1 and currently shows a small docket (roughly a dozen months of cases were summarized in a packet). She emphasized that Restore Court also addresses an indigent‑defense shortage by providing a dedicated prosecutor and defense counsel assigned to the docket. Sheriff Nick Hunter and DA Clarkson spelled out practical constraints: Restore Court requires on‑site supervision for crews, and success depends on participant engagement and treatment readiness.
Ending: County and city leaders said Restore Court is an early pilot and pledged continued evaluation. Officials asked the council and commissioners to support coordination with providers, courts and law enforcement so the program can expand if it meets restitution and treatment goals.
