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Court Services warns funding cuts could shrink community programs and increase incarceration
Summary
Court Services Director Ani Morley told commissioners state grant reductions and pending IOCS allocations threaten program capacity; she said cuts already reduced training by $22,500, cut over $150,000 in operating costs, left three positions unfilled, and warned cuts "will reduce community-based options, increase jail and prison commitments, and raise taxpayer costs."
Court Services Director Ani Morley told the Jefferson County Commissioners that state funding reductions from the Indiana Department of Correction have forced programmatic changes and raised the prospect of reduced community-based options. Morley said she has formally requested to retain approximately $100,000 in unspent Office of Court Services funds that the state seeks to reclaim and is pursuing federal grants. To address shortfalls, the program has trimmed its training budget by $22,500, cut operating costs by more than $150,000, left three positions unfilled since 2025, reduced group classes from seven to four, and plans to make a field officer part-time in 2027.
Morley noted that in the first six months Court Services supervised nearly 1,400 cases, achieved 541 successful supervision completions (51 unsuccessful), conducted 1,168 screens, and delivered over 200 criminogenic interventions. She warned that continued cuts "will reduce community-based options, increase jail and prison commitments, and raise taxpayer costs." Judge DJ Mote later addressed the board in support of maintaining Court Services funding ahead of upcoming budget decisions.
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