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Denton County accepts roughly $960,000 in governor grants for specialty courts
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Summary
Denton County Commissioners Court unanimously accepted five Criminal Justice Division grant awards totaling approximately $960,102 to support veterans, drug, family drug, DWI and mental-health treatment courts for FY2026, with judges and program staff saying funds will pay monitoring, counseling and related services.
Denton County Commissioners Court on Nov. 18 approved acceptance of five grant awards from the Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, to support specialty-court programs that provide supervision, treatment and services to justice-involved residents.
The awards — approved by unanimous votes — are: $159,491 for the Veterans Treatment Court; $202,171 for the Drug Treatment Court; $213,046 for the Family Drug Treatment Court; $213,307 for the DWI Treatment Court; and $172,087 for the Mental Health Treatment Court. The combined total is $960,102.
Judges and program staff described how the funds will be used. Judge Beadle asked the court to accept the veterans-court grant, saying the money “will go directly to funding counseling, monitoring of the veterans while they're in the program, and other associated costs” of the problem-solving court. Judge Shanklin and her court staff made similar remarks in support of the drug court grant, thanking the commissioners for longstanding support. Trace Remington, program manager and probation officer for the DWI treatment court, told the court the DWI program currently serves 28 people and that grant funds will support monitoring and services for participants.
Commissioners moved and seconded the approvals and each motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Falconer and Commissioner Williams were regularly recorded moving or seconding motions during the grant items.
Why it matters: Specialty courts are alternatives to incarceration that combine judicial oversight with treatment and services; local officials said the grants reduce the county’s net costs while supporting participant rehabilitation and public safety.
Next steps: Each grant will be administered by the participating court and associated county offices; commissioners did not delay acceptance and approved the awards during this session.
