Scott Hall, executive director of Marion County Community Corrections, gave the board a multi‑part update that covered staff promotions, vendor and community engagement around an Empower safety app, outreach to potential female work‑release partners, workforce training coordination and renewed advocacy for a combined facility to replace aging infrastructure.

Hall said the agency has promoted three staff to supervisory roles: Phil Cobard (training/EVP/audit supervisor), Summer Rogers (client services/call center supervisor) and Jasmine Morris (processing supervisor). He said annual reporting for 2024 is being finalized and will be shared at a future meeting.

On technology and victim services, Hall said he and Brian Barton of Trak Group met with multiple domestic‑violence advocacy groups and received generally positive feedback about implementing the Empower app. Hall said the next steps include adapting onboarding practices from other jurisdictions (Cook County, Chicago and Seattle) and coordinating with the prosecutor’s office and victim advocates to determine who will assist survivors with sign‑up.

Hall described outreach regarding female work‑release sites. He said Constructing Our Future has discussed hosting female work‑release residents and that Dove House has also been contacted; both organizations are small and may have capacity constraints. The board discussed that multiple partner sites could be feasible rather than a single site.

On workforce development, Hall said he plans to work more closely with the Indy Chamber and Ivy Tech to match training and job referrals to labor market needs — for example, automotive and heavy equipment technicians — so clients receive training that aligns with employer demand. Board members noted the county’s shortfall of fleet technicians and urged tailoring training to specific employer needs.

Hall also renewed advocacy for a combined community corrections facility, saying the current Duval Residence Center requires recurring major repairs. He cited major maintenance needs — roof repair estimated at approximately $900,000, boiler and generator repairs, replacement air‑conditioning units and secure‑door repairs — and said staff are spending substantial funds to keep the aging facility safe. Hall said a concise, data‑driven two‑page proposal will be prepared for the mayor’s office and council and that he will continue to press for state funding as the community corrections budget has not changed since 2017.

Board members and the county fiscal representative discussed fiscal constraints and construction‑cost escalation, noting that delaying major capital projects can increase ultimate costs. Hall said staff will continue to refine the facility request, coordinate with stakeholders and present cost and programmatic arguments to council and the mayor.

Hall closed by noting the need to better tie program referrals to risk assessments and to incentivize client completion of programming. He said the office is exploring whether successful program completion could be tied to sentence reductions or other incentives, with further conversations planned with prosecutors, public defenders and the judiciary.

No formal board action was required for these updates; the transcript records board questions and agreement to pursue next steps.