The 14TH circuit solicitor's office prosecutes felony offenses in a five-county area of south carolina's lowcountry

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $784,057 Treatment Court Discretionary Grant (CFDA 16.585) to Colleton County, South Carolina, effective October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2028. The grant aims to increase program capacity and expand the continuum of care for the county's multidisciplinary court, which provides a post-adjudicatory alternative to prison for offenders with substance use and co-occurring disorders. The funding will support in-house mental health and substance use counselors to enhance evidence-based services and reduce recidivism. The project is expected to serve an additional 160 participants over four years in the underserved, rural, and economically disadvantaged counties within the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office jurisdiction, which has a majority non-white population in two of the counties.

IT also operates a multidisciplinary court, providing a post-adjudicatory alternative to prison for qualified offenders with substance use and CO-occurring disorders. Project activities would increase program capacity and expand the continuum of care by supporting in-house mental health and substance use counselors. The solicitor's office has operated multidisciplinary court in beaufort county since 2009, with graduation rates approaching 90% and recidivism rates of 35% or lower. However, availability of mental health treatment is not sufficient to assist all drug court participants with CO-occurring disorders. The situation is yet more dire in the other counties, which are rural and economically disadvantaged and where the non-white population exceeds the state average. In fact, in two of those counties, black/african-americans constitute a population majority. Expected outcomes include increasing program capacity so that 160 additional participants are served over four years; provision of evidence-based services; recidivism reduction where the program is already in place; and regular program assessments.