[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6323818,"mediaKeyId","2340894-b585c38e010107b2b8e68533599ba59b","parentId",2340894,"title","Benton County approves submission for $950,000 adult drug treatment court BJA grant","audioSeconds",1700,"startMs",347000,"endMs",2047000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340894-b585c38e010107b2b8e68533599ba59b&start=347&end=2047","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2340894-b585c38e010107b2b8e68533599ba59b/thumbnail_347000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6323818/Benton-County/Arkansas/Benton-County-approves-submission-for-950000-adult-drug-treatment-court-BJA-grant","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323818-e3cde50788d9c4a7812636a059983932/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204238&Signature=FCvVz1h~JrDSrGUa16ZWhjsy1yhzqPC4PYRGtvjJXvkuK65aAwG8ZBWu5JS3Za0l1SK3dUHQ6BfsJvog~rSzstZPaSY-TKDy4Dxe~axHQ8KVhb5rrXJRnM3vXUD6JKx4Od81YaobTvmRE4ZMw-ANVHTFnvG7MaA-6HWMfpm7FaqQn6fG5SSB8pYUiMiMdVTi8qvBK-uD38-96clEdExHHqCeb0MfqQ1voLsvTcGax9dMMxoOf~6SaFMm8X35rfT5FL-DtvMDCJiYZEuHBu1UOMjiEuc1jaexHzyXBft8kYQCo8KwLwp6nlgIfsIN~~Ew-Uel7IVOwa4QX8sq56z8xg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Benton County","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Benton County Board of Commissioners voted to approve submission of a Bureau of Justice Administration planning and implementation grant application seeking $950,000 to restart the county’s Adult Drug Treatment Court (ADTC).

The grant approval motion was made by Commissioner Shepherd and seconded; the motion passed by voice vote. Rick Krager, county staff, said the application would request $950,000 over three years as part of a total project budget of $1,266,006.77 that includes a 25% local match.

Judge Demarest, who is taking over oversight of the ADTC, said the program has been inactive for nearly two years and that restarting it is a priority. “We’re very hopeful that the BJA grant will become available again and that we, hopefully, this time around, will be able to qualify,” Judge Demarest said, adding that the policy committee had used prior BJA feedback to strengthen the new application.

Judge Donahue and Judge Demarest described the operational gaps that led to the program’s earlier suspension, including insufficient treatment resources and difficulties maintaining treatment-court fidelity (for example, segregating participants by risk level and gender). Judge Donahue said the program was halted in 2023 after the policy committee concluded the program “was doing more harm than good” because it could not meet critical best-practice standards.

County staff and judges told the board they have identified a potential outside treatment provider with experience in treatment-court models and that the state is recruiting a program coordinator whose salary would serve most of the 25% match requirement. Krager said the county would provide grant management and that those administrative costs would be paid from allowable indirect costs in the grant budget.

Commissioners asked about past denials and the grant’s competitiveness. Krager and the judges said the BJA planning/implementation awards are nationally competitive (five awards in the last cycle) and that the county received feedback on the prior application that they used to revise and strengthen the proposal. Krager said the BJA request for applications had been temporarily pulled by the federal grantor but that staff had been advised the solicitation may return with similar requirements; the board authorized moving forward now so the county can meet any imminent deadline if the solicitation reopens.

Sheriff (name not specified) spoke in support of restarting drug court, recounting prior experience with drug court programs and offering the office’s cooperation. Commissioners also discussed local housing as a critical component for participant success; Judge Demarest said access to even a few housing units can determine the difference between program success and failure.

Votes at a glance: The board approved the submission of a $950,000 BJA planning and implementation grant application for the ADTC by voice vote; the motion was moved by Commissioner Shepherd and seconded. The board recorded the motion as passed.

Next steps noted by staff and judges include finalizing the application to match any revised federal requirements, confirming the match funding source (state program coordinator), selecting or contracting a treatment provider if the grant is awarded, and returning to the board if substantial grant changes occur or before final commitment of county funds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Commissioners Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Benton County Board of Commissioners voted to approve submission of a Bureau of Justice Administration planning and implementation grant application seeking $950,000 to restart the county’s Adult Drug Treatment Court (ADTC).","taxTitle","Benton County, Arkansas","taxId",12689,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6323814,"Benton County approves preliminary application for state family treatment court funding",974,2058000,3032000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340894-b585c38e010107b2b8e68533599ba59b&start=2058&end=3032","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2340894-b585c38e010107b2b8e68533599ba59b/thumbnail_2058000.jpg","/articles/6323814/Benton-County/Arkansas/Benton-County-approves-preliminary-application-for-state-family-treatment-court-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323814-77ec257bd0031616239fc865e69f6947/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204238&Signature=G3N9c2R92sLtwX6oy4vi6Yq0jjiu5l2DOXRYB8rIF9BRPe933aNgLwDCc2ScMRKBn7xgJU18r865ch8fHWTPvVIWEnaA7XuDB0CH8wNscIPyLWHk62LxBsYz0qiYq74vGKWk1CN3j6KGxI4LTRZHf23d1TvgsJKv09IAu0uFo2gpOH-FJ5~qd0tvtTpC2Hu4zQz22sWKpPat3rbWeIucnLOO6RvnztF5ml3~hZkftpHz5xqccxryfzXtFeMBqq6BOrHEBpSvfH0lGpTKrPKyqhSgFf7e8Tl84-j6MK9BAz9HJXSnE6~i1oHXk2V64c1i0Uh3lQxCpy~hDybfG8IVQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Benton County commissioners voted to approve a preliminary application to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) to support creation of a Family Treatment Court (FTC) aimed at families involved in the juvenile dependency system.

The motion – to approve a preliminary application in coordination with the Oregon Judicial Department and to return the final application for board review before the July 1, 2025 deadline – was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote.

Judge Donahue explained that a family treatment court operates within the juvenile dependency system rather than the criminal-justice system and focuses on parents whose substance use disorders have led to child removal by the Department of Human Services (DHS). “The goal is to identify individuals in the juvenile dependency system who have substance use disorders … and provide them treatment and services to facilitate return of their children and reduce future dependency,” Judge Donahue said.

County and judicial staff told commissioners the FTC has been under development for more than a year, that memoranda of understanding and operating plans are in process, and that the program is currently planning for an initial capacity of eight participants. Staff said Benton County DHS already holds limited DHS startup family treatment court funds that could be released once participants are enrolled.

Commissioners heard that the CJC grant is a state-level program aimed at sustainability funding for specialty courts and that the preliminary CJC narrative deadline is March 20, 2025 with a final application due July 1, 2025. Staff said the county would function as grant administrator if the award is made and that county services beyond grant management are not anticipated at this stage.

Commissioners asked about contingency plans if state funding is not awarded. Judge Donahue and staff said the FTC is more likely to be funded through state CJC mechanisms than the competitive federal BJA grants; they added that, if necessary, the program could run at reduced capacity using DHS startup funds and local Medicaid-reimbursable services, though it would not match the full-service model.

Votes at a glance: The board approved a preliminary CJC application to support creation of a Family Treatment Court by voice vote; the motion included a commitment that the final application would return to the board before the July 1, 2025 deadline.","The Benton County Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary application to the Criminal Justice Commission to support creation of a Family Treatment Court (FTC). Judges said the FTC focuses on parents in the juvenile dependency system and anticipated initial capacity of eight participants; the county would administer any state grant.","actionData","errors"]

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Benton County approves submission for $950,000 adult drug treatment court BJA grant

Benton County approves preliminary application for state family treatment court funding