Community Corrections

Community Corrections was established by the Indiana General Assembly in 1979 and under I.C. code 11-12-1-1 defines community corrections programs as community-based programs that provide preventive services, services to offenders, services to persons charged with a crime or an act of delinquency, services to persons diverted from the criminal or delinquency process, services to persons sentenced to imprisonment, or services to victims of crime or delinquency. It is operated under a community corrections plan of a county and funded at least in part by the state through the Indiana Department of Corrections and participant users’ fees.

Tipton County began the local Community Corrections program in 1990, and the mission is to serve participants, their families, and the community by producing life change through needs-based programs. The agency’s goals are to provide corrections alternatives, which help to complete a diverse continuum of offender sanctions and to assist offenders in gaining the skills needed to minimize the risk to re-offend. Community Corrections participants may be sentenced directly from the court or transitioning back into the community following a period of incarceration.

Community Corrections functions include:

1. Assessment services to identify needs regarding mental health, criminal thinking, vocation, and other individual needs.
2. Monitoring services include electronically monitored home detention with drug testing.
3. Intervention services such as substance abuse treatment and cognitive-behavioral therapies.

Oversight is provided by the local Advisory Board which is set by statute and includes the judge, sheriff, prosecutor, school administrator, mental health professional, defense attorney, mayor, County Council member, Department of Child Services director, past participant, victim, and four community members.