Sec. 5. (a) The department shall do the following:

(1) Provide consultation and technical assistance to counties to aid in the development of community corrections plans.

(2) Provide training for community corrections personnel and board members to the extent funds are available.

(3) Adopt under IC 4-22-2 rules governing application by counties and courts for financial aid under this chapter, including the content of community corrections plans.

(4) Adopt under IC 4-22-2 rules governing the disbursement of monies to a county and the county's certification of expenditures.

(5) Adopt under IC 4-22-2 minimum standards for the establishment, operation, and evaluation of programs receiving financial aid under this chapter. (These standards must be sufficiently flexible to foster the development of new and improved correctional practices.)

(6) Examine and either approve or disapprove applications for financial aid. The department's approval or disapproval must be based on this chapter and the rules adopted under this chapter.

(7) Keep the budget agency informed of the amount of appropriation needed to adequately fund programs under this chapter.

(8) Adopt under IC 4-22-2 a formula or other method of determining a participating county's share of funds appropriated for purposes of this chapter. This formula or method must be approved by the budget agency before the formula is adopted and must be designed to accurately reflect a county's correctional needs and ability to pay.

(9) Keep counties informed of money appropriated for the purposes of this chapter.

(10) Provide an approved training curriculum for community corrections field officers.

(11) Require community corrections programs to submit in proposed budget requests an evaluation of the use of department approved best practices for each community corrections program component.

(12) Submit applications from counties and courts to the justice reinvestment advisory council established under IC 33-38-9.5 for review and recommendation unless otherwise authorized by the advisory council.

(b) The commissioner may do the following:

(1) Visit and inspect any program receiving financial aid under this chapter.

(2) Require a participating county or program to submit information or statistics pertinent to the review of applications and programs.

(3) Expend up to three percent (3%) of the money appropriated to the department for community correction grants to provide technical assistance, consultation, and training to counties and to monitor and evaluate program delivery.

(c) Notwithstanding any law prohibiting advance payments, the department of correction may advance grant money to a county or group of counties in order to assist a community corrections program. However, not more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the amount awarded to a county or group of counties may be paid in advance.

(d) The commissioner shall disburse no more funds to any county or court under this chapter than are required to fund the community corrections plan or court supervised recidivism reduction program.

As added by Acts 1979, P.L.120, SEC.5. Amended by P.L.151-1983, SEC.2; P.L.240-1991(ss2), SEC.65; P.L.104-1997, SEC.4; P.L.105-2010, SEC.4; P.L.179-2015, SEC.4.