12/22/16
by News Department on 12/22/16Drug treatment court...
A Drug Treatment Court that has been discussed by county officials since 2014 will soon begin in Schuylkill County for defendants trying to overcome substance abuse.
The Republican Herald reports that President Judge William E. Baldwin and Judge James P. Goodman will oversee the court, a 14-week treatment program for nonviolent defendants.
Lynn Holden, a probation supervisor, will serve as treatment court coordinator.
Federal and state funding available earlier this year allowed the county to finally start the program. In April, the county submitted a grant application for $350,000 through the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program. The grant carried a 25 percent match, which was paid by the county. The state grant was for $100,000.
Baldwin said that some of the services through the Drug Treatment Court are already being offered by the county Drug & Alcohol and Adult Probation department and funded through the state.
The court will sit every Thursday beginning Jan. 5.
