A local advocacy group is calling on the Vanderburgh County Council to approve funding for a jail diversion program. WNIN’s John Gibson has more:
The Council is expected to discuss American Rescue Plan funding recommended by County Commissioners, including as half-million dollars for the Evansville Diversion Center, Wednesday afternoon.
Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment – or CAJE – says without the program, vulnerable neighbors continue to suffer and in some cases die.
The group says the county council has tabled a vote on the funding for four months, and plans to attend Wednesday afternoon’s meeting to offer “silent support for approval of the full recommended allocation.”
Diversion centers provide an alternative to incarceration for low-level misdemeanors or nonviolent crimes.