LAWRENCE CO. — Chad Shew presented the Lawrence County Community Corrections 3rd Quarter 2025 report (July 1 to September 30, 2025) to the commissioners on Tuesday morning, detailing significant labor savings through community service and a high volume of cases, including a five-year peak in supervision hours ordered by the courts.
Community Service Generates Over $52,000 in Labor Savings
Community Corrections reported coordinating a total of 7,295 verified community service hours across the first three quarters of 2025 (Q1, Q2, and Q3), resulting in a total labor savings of $52,888.75 for 32 local agencies.
The top agencies receiving the benefit of this labor through Q3 were:
- Road Crew: 1,586 hours ($11,498.50 value)
- Mitchell Street Department: 1,101 hours ($7,982.25 value)
- Juvenile Road Crew: 1,024.25 hours ($7,425.81 value)
- Town of Oolitic: 770.5 hours ($5,586.125 value)
The total hours verified and total labor savings include services provided to a range of organizations, from the Lawrence County Fairgrounds to the Men’s Warming Shelter.
Record Supervision Hours Ordered
The 3rd Quarter saw the highest number of Community Service (CS) hours ordered in five years.
- The Lawrence Superior Courts ordered a total of 3,300 community service hours in Q3.
- This represents the highest Q3 CS hours ordered in five years (2025 Q3 vs. 2020-2024).
Total Community Service hours ordered by Lawrence Superior Courts 1 and 2 for the quarter reached 3,300, with 1,152 hours ordered in July, 902 in August, and 1,152 in September.
Caseload and Program Activity
As of October 31, 2025, the program had maintained a significant number of participants, with a total of 336 individuals currently enrolled across various programs.
Key caseload statistics include:
- Home Detention (HD): 69 participants
- Remote Supervision (RS): 53 participants
- Community Service (CS): 134 participants
- Adult HD/EM Caseload: The quarter saw 6,929 days served. This service saved the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) approximately $553,280.65 and Lawrence County Jail an estimated $517,319.14 in jail cost savings.
- Juvenile Secure Detention: A total of 5 juveniles were served during the quarter, contributing to a $40,000 in County savings.
Additionally, the program tracked employment statistics for Home Detention participants, noting that out of 40 adults who began Home Detention, 77% were employed and 63% attained employment during their supervision.
According to a report highlighted by Shew, between January 1 and September 30, a substantial 92 percent of individuals tested negative for drug use.
However, among the small percentage that did test positive, two substances were dominant:
- THC (the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis) was identified as the most used substance.
- Methamphetamines followed as the second most commonly detected substance among positive tests.
The figures underscore the compliance of most program participants.
