The lack of day reporting centers for nonviolent offenders in Maryland may soon be coming to an end.

Washington County officials are interested in launching what may be the first day reporting center in Maryland with help from grants offered by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP).

As reported in The Herald-Mail:

County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore and Maj. Craig Rowe, warden of the Washington County Detention Center, will appear before the Washington County Board of Commissioners to seek authorization to apply for a $540,000 state grant for the home-detention drug-treatment facility.

“We have led a number of initiatives for heroin in the state, and this is just another one of those issues,” Mullendore said Monday. “We continue to incarcerate our offenders as opposed to treating them as a medical issue.”

The fiscal 2017 Adult Day Reporting Center Grant through the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention would fund the cost of operations of the new program, which would provide community-based services and treatment for drug offenders under parole, probation or pretrial suspension, according to county officials.

Other jurisdictions, including Carroll County, have shared interest in this initiative as a more efficient and effective means of handling nonviolent offenders while reducing the burdens on local jails.

For more information read the full article in The Herald-Mail.

Related coverage on Conduit Street: Carroll County Considers Day Reporting Centers for Nonviolent Offenders