Community Corrections

Wells County Community Corrections consists of five (5) program components:

1. Community Service Restitution (CSR)
2. Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring HD/EM
3.  Work Release supervision/Electronic Monitoring WRS/EM
4. Continuum of Care Initiatives (CCI)
5. Community Transition Program (CTP)

Wells County Community Corrections began in July 1990 with the help of a grant from the Indiana Department of Correction. Wells County Community Corrections’ Department originally consisted of Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring and Community Service Restitution programs. Over the years, the Department has evolved and introduced additional programs to expand our outreach in the community to assist the populations we serve in the criminal justice system. Today these programs include: Home Detention/EM, the Work Release Supervision/EM , and jail based cognitive/education programs supported by the Sheriff’s Department and the Courts. As we prepare to embark on the reentry journey we are expanding our community Continuum of Care Initiative to assist in transitioning individuals back into the community upon release identifying programs and services to further support our community partners to help individuals and  families in the community restoration process.

We have ongoing foundation support from the Wells County Community Corrections Advisory Board, established pursuant to the Indiana Code 11-12-2-3, to assist the Department in all areas of its operating structure. The Wells County Community Corrections Advisory Board is represented by Community Corrections, the Courts, Probation, Prosecutor, and local community agencies, businesses, and community advocates. The Advisory Board, which meets the second Tuesday in the months of January, March, May, September and November, at 11:45 a.m. in the Courthouse, provides input in the development of the Community Corrections Strategic Plan and acts as our fiscal adviser on the submission application for financial aid required to operate the Department for the coming year from the Indiana Department of Correction.  The Advisory Board has county oversight of the operation of Community Corrections and makes recommendations to the County Commissioners for contracts with local government or non-governmental agencies who may be integral to Community Corrections ongoing operations and strategic plan. The Advisory Board also performs other duties as outlined in the by-laws of the Wells County Community Corrections Advisory Board.

Currently, Wells County Community Corrections employs (7) full-time employees and (3) part-time employees. Community Corrections positions include: (1) Executive Director,(1) Administration Operations/Training/IDOC Compliance Coordinator,  (1) Field Management Operations Supervision Coordinator, (3) Field Officers, (2)Case Management Technicians, (1) Administrative Support Specialist, and (1) Clerical Support Specialist. Wells County Community Corrections also sponsors an Internship Program in collaboration with area colleges and universities to mentor and offer hands-on experience to college students who plan on entering the field of Community Corrections or a related field in Criminal Justice upon graduation.

($50 one-time hookup fee & $14.50 per day.)

Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring is an alternative intermediate community corrections sentencing program designed to restrict the activities of sentenced adults and juveniles in the criminal justice system. Community Corrections supervises and monitors them in the community for the Courts while they are on Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring. The Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring Program employs alcohol testing compliance with alcohol detection and tethering equipment and Global Position Satellite Tracking, which allows for the highest level of supervision available to Law Enforcement and the Courts.

Today with ongoing concerns about overcrowding prisons and jails looming in our communities, Home Detention/EM enables our ability to offset the operational costs and limit overcrowding in jails and prisons to maintain safety and compliance in our community while we meet continuum care needs of our target population with available community resources. The majority of the target population is non-violent probation violators, A Misdemeanors, and Felony charged individuals. Courts increasingly use Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring as a condition of pretrial release, probation, direct commits or parole for eligible individuals.

All Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring participants have a mandatory weekly check-in day and submit a written schedule of all of their activities for a week in advance and review activities and supply documentation from the prior week. This written schedule includes a detailed schedule for the upcoming week advising staff of all departures from the home and arrival time back to the home. All participants are required to submit to random drug testing while on the program and will be responsible to pay the cost associated with any drug tests. User fees are assessed for this program. (See links supplied for Contract, User Fees, Home Detention allowed activities and any additional information about our Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring Program.)

For other questions or concerns please email us at ccadmin@wellsindiana.org and we will respond within one business day of your email request. . You may also contact our office at (260)824-6405 Or fax us at (260)824-6406.

Please follow the link to the Adult  Home Detention/EM Program Contract or Juvenile Home Detention/EM Program. Fill out the application online and print a copy for your records and bring it with you to your scheduled intake appointment.

If you have been sentenced to non-GPS monitoring daily reporting, follow the link to  Home Detention/Day Reporting Program Contract.  Fill out the application on line and print a copy for your records and bring it with you to your scheduled intake appointment. 

You may also fill out your application online and print a copy for your records and email your completed contract to ccadmin@wellsindiana.org by attaching the document to your email by clicking on the ‘paper clip’ icon in the body of your email to us prior to your scheduled intake appointment. 

($50 Hookup Fee and 5.50 per day fee for Electronic Monitoring Fee; $18 Housing Fee for Wells County Jail)

The Work Release Supervision Program is a jail-based  alternative sentencing option approved by the Court in coordination with the Courts, the Wells County Jail and Wells County Community Corrections. The Work Release Supervision Program enables those convicted of non-violent crimes to keep their jobs and serve their jail time consecutively. Prior to being admitted to the Work Release Supervision Program an applicant must be screened and must pre-approved by the Court, Jail. and Community Corrections. Work Release Supervision participants are electronically monitored and supervised by Wells County Community Corrections while they work outside the jail,  but as per the Court Order, is sentenced to be housed in the County Jail under the supervision of the Sheriff’s Department for the remainder of their sentence. Please note there are no guarantees of acceptance to the Work Release Supervision Program. Approval for the program is on  a case by case basis and is dependent on meeting all eligibility requirements and the current availability of space at the jail.

The Work Release Supervision participants are responsible for all their own medical expenses and pay a program fee to the County Jail and Community Corrections to participate in the program to offset costs of housing and monitoring equipment and services. As part of the Work Release Supervision Program,  Wells County Community Corrections may offer  job placement services for its participants in this program where appropriate.

All Work Release Supervision participants  are monitored while outside the jail, via a leg transmitter and a drive-by unit (same technology as Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring). All Work Release Supervision  participants have a mandatory weekly check-in day and submit a written schedule of all of their activities for a week in advance and review activities and supply documentation from the prior week. This written schedule includes a detailed schedule for the upcoming week advising of all departures from the jail and arrival time back to the jail. All participants are required to submit to random drug testing while participating in the Work Release Supervision Program and will be responsible to pay the cost associated with any drug tests. User fees are assessed for this program. (See links supplied for Work Release Supervision Contract, User Fees, Work Release Supervision allowed activities and any additional information about our Work Release Supervision Program.)

For other questions or concerns please email us at ccadmin@wellsindiana.org and we will respond within one business day of your email request. Please note we do not accept collect calls placed from the County jail.  You may also contact our office at (260)824-6405 Or fax us at (260)824-6406.

Please follow the link to the Work Release Supervision Contract. Fill out the application online and print a copy for your records and bring it with you to your intake appointment.

You may also fill out your application online and email your completed contract to ccadmin@wellsindiana.org by attaching the document to your email by clicking on the ‘paper clip’ icon in the body of your email to us prior to your intake appointment. 

Continuum of Care Initiatives are designed to follow the quality of care of the individual over time. It is the process by which an individual and his/her physician-led care team are cooperatively involved in ongoing health care management, mental health management, and and connected to community resources. The focus today is toward the shared goal of high quality, cost-effective medical/mental health care and the quality of life of the whole person.  This continuum of care may take the form of wrap around services; cognitive behavioral therapy and education prevention programs to prevent relapse symptoms; perhaps school-based cognitive behavioral therapy and life skills education programs to students to help them develop strategies to solve problems, regulate emotions, and establish helpful patterns of thought and behavior; church ministries and volunteer organizations that link faith with volunteer services available in a community; non profit organizations and so on that work together for the betterment of the well-being of the whole individual.

Many individuals come to us in the criminal justice system broken and needing medical and mental health services, clinical addiction interventions and relapse/recovery services, basic life skills coaching and a multitude of community resources. Our county Courts have recognized the need for alternative sentencing guidelines to bring about holistic and restorative justice. Unfortunately, most counties did not anticipate the numbers of individuals within their counties that would have to avail themselves of these programs and intervention services to meet the need of the individuals being released from jail and prison.

Wells County Community Corrections is using its advancement in the technology available to expand our outreach for the Continuum of Care Initiative with other community partners. Today the continuity of care is more important than ever since funding for operational resources of many of our larger resource providers in rural counties is complicated, limited or non-existent for smaller program providers of necessary intervention services.  The good news is that Wells County Community Corrections and its community partners and many of the ministerial resources within Wells County have bounded together with a call to change the flow of services and programs within our county to help those released from incarceration  to transition more seamlessly to the community through a more effective Continuum of Care Initiative that brings community partners together with those in need of programs and services.

Wells County Community Corrections supports transitioning efforts for anyone released from the criminal justice system. Over the coming months we will post many links that identify organizations and resources available in our community that may maximize a positive response to this county crisis in our community and minimize negative responses from those in our community that say we need to do more for our criminal justice population.(See links supplied for further information about the community collaborative efforts in Wells County).

For other questions or concerns please email us at ccadmin@wellsindiana.org and we will respond within one business day of your email request. You may also contact our office at (260)824-6405 Or fax us at (260)824-6406.

Below are several local comprehensive mental health and community services links offered within a 20 mile area of Wells County. You may click the links to go directly to their websites for more information. For your convenience you may also click the link for the Comprehensive Community Resources List and print the document as a reference for future use.

Comprehensive Behavioral Health Services

Parkview Behavioral Health : Ph: (260) 373-7500  Fax: (260) 373- 7018

Park Center: Ph: (260) 481-2800

St. Joseph Behavioral Health: Ph: (260) 425-3606  Fax ER: (260)25-3116

Adams Behavioral Health: Ph: (260) 724-4303  Fax: (260) 728-3808

Bowen Center Mental Health & Addiction Recovery: Ph: 1-(800) 342-5653

Make the Connection- Veteran Services:  Crisis Line: (800) 273-8255

Comprehensive Community Services

Brightpoint Family Outreach: Ph: 1-(800)589-2264  Fax: (260) 440-3780

Family Centered Services, Inc.: Ph: (260) 824-8574

The Connecting Center:   Ph: (260) 307-5125

The Salvation Army Extension: Ph: (260) 622-8441

The Volunteer Lawyer Program: Ph: (877) 407-0917

Look up Indiana: Ph: 877-257-0208 (Available 24/7)

The Literacy Alliance: Ph: (260) 426-7323   Fax: (260)

Bluffton Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous Meetings

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs -Northern Indiana Healthcare System Directory

Bluffton Indiana Churches

Indiana Career Connect

Indiana Career Ready

Alcoholics Anonymous Fort Wayne: Ph: (260) 471-6262

Helping Hands Bluffton: Ph: (260) 824-4263

YMCA Northeast Indiana: Ph: (260) 422-6488

Aspen Navigation/Community Health: Ph: 1(877) 313-7215

YWCA Northeast Indiana: Ph: (260_424-4908  Fax: (260) 420-5202

Community Transition Program (CTP) is a program developed by the Indiana Department of Corrections prison system and is supervised and implemented by participating Community Corrections Counties across Indiana. The purpose of the Community Transition Program (CTP) is to facilitate the successful reintegration of those sentenced to prison as they prepare to transition back into the community prior to their release from prison. All felons with a sentence of at least two years, who are residents of Indiana, who do not have detainers or warrants, who meet the time requirements of statute, and have at least 30 days to serve may be eligible to participate in the Community Transition Program through the Indiana Department of Corrections prison system.

Notices of eligibility are generated 45 to 60 days prior to the offender’s Community Transition Program possible commencement date.  The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Central Office sends notices of eligibility to the sentencing Courts, Prosecutors and Community Corrections Directors of participating counties for review of acceptance or denial to the County of Residence. After review all approvals and denials issued by the Court are sent to the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Central Office. The Indiana Department of Correction facilities transport offenders as ordered by Courts or Statute. All actions at the county level are directed by the court or may be delegated directly to a community corrections program, probation, or a contract provider. There are no guarantees of acceptance to the Community Transition Program without approval from the receiving county of residence.

Once approved to the Community Transition Program (CTP),  participants follow the guidelines as Home Detention/EM except for user fees. Community Transition Program  participants have a mandatory weekly check-in day and submit a written schedule of all of their activities for a week in advance and review activities and supply documentation from the prior week. This written schedule includes detailed schedule for the upcoming week advising of all departures from the home and arrival time back to the home. All participants of the Community Transition Program (CTP) are required to submit to random drug testing while on the program and will be responsible to pay the cost associated with any drug tests. No user fees are assessed for the Community Transition Program. (See links supplied for Contract, User Fees, Home Detention allowed activities and any additional information about our Home Detention/Electronic Monitoring Program as it relates to the Community Transition Program (CTP).

For other questions or concerns please email us at ccadmin@wellsindiana.org  and we will respond within one business day of your email request.  You may also contact our office at (260)824-6405 Or fax us at (260)824-6406.

Please follow the link to the Home Detention/GPS Contract. Fill out the application online and print a copy for your records and bring it with you to your scheduled intake appointment.

You may also fill out your application online and email your completed contract to ccadmin@wellsindiana.org by attaching the document to your email by clicking on the ‘paper clip’ icon in the body of your email to us prior to your intake appointment. 

Wells County Community Corrections continues to explore new technologies to aid in operational performance and seeks to further expand additional programs and services while being fiscally responsible and prudent. We are continually maintaining a computer modernization initiative. Part of this effort is the ever-evolving case management software and the diverse database programs used by Wells County and Wells County Community Corrections. The evolution of technology has allowed us to support staffing shortages and offer technologies to minimize workloads and maintain efficiency as we supervise and track program participants in our many programs and initiatives. The improved technology platforms have been invaluable in gathering participant information and data collection for continuous quality control of programs and services and fiscal reporting.  Technology is at the fore front of our inter-office network and county connectivity to the State Resource System (SRS) through the Incite Offender Management System (OMS) and Court Management System(CMS) platforms.

We are initiating new ways to use technology through web-based portals to increase the access of services and programs which our surrounding community provides. We believe the future is in the new technologies. The program possibilities are endless that adapt technology that will continue to increase the level of excellence of services and programs which are offered to the participants of Wells County Community Corrections.  If our past experiences in criminal justice and community corrections are any indication,  court transitioning alternatives, holistic and restorative justice models and gain on the technology front for Global Positioning software, alcohol monitoring equipment and computerized populated files are  changing the face of how community corrections will be operating in the future.  We are moving into a different plane where much more will be expected by the criminal justice professional and technology innovations that may challenge us now will become part of the norm and more exciting technologies will emerge to challenge us even more.

It is my observation that Wells County Community Corrections has met and exceeded the intentions that brought about its enactment into law in 1988. In the early years the objective was containment and supervision and community safety. The goal of the original community corrections program was to reduce the number of offenders sentenced to the Indiana Department of Corrections and the Wells County Jail. Today the goal of the Court is holistic and restorative in doling out justice with the objective of leading participants to become healthy members of society and accountable.  This evolution in sentencing has allowed Wells County Community Corrections to become more effectively collaborative and gain support within the continuity of care of providers in our community that support and assist in helping heal individuals as we help them through our programs to be more productive and ready to transition back into the community. We believe this effort prior to release will sustain them upon release and they will be more likely to succeed in life and not return to the criminal justice system.

In the beginning of community corrections funding was limited to the Department of Correction grant. As our County and community became vested in Wells County Community Corrections we were able to fiscally reinforce a good foundation that is leading us toward being even more cost effective to meet the challenges of the future of community corrections. Our successful accomplishment is due in part to the proactive work of our community corrections professionals and to the ongoing support of our Courts, Probation, Prosecutor, Advisory Board, County Council, County Commissioners and our community. Our community collaboration in the future of community corrections is promising and will be sustainable because we are all working together.

In summary, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all those who are instrumental in continuing the services and programs that are provided to our participants from the Wells County community. I wish to thank my  staff who have committed their professional careers to helping and supporting our efforts to help those coming to Wells County Community Corrections. Their commitment and professionalism have made all the difference in the lives of the individuals and families they serve here in Wells County. I would also like to acknowledge the Advisory Board members who always provide insight for the issues we deal with in operations of community corrections,  and the County Commissioners and the County Council for their leadership and concern. I  wish to send out a special thank you those agencies in law enforcement, the Courts, the governmental and non-profit agencies who support us in our efforts to serve the community every day. We recognize it takes an entire community to support the community and we are grateful to Wells County and its supporters for their constancy in supporting us at Wells County Community Corrections.

Respectfully Submitted,

Blake T Poindexter
Executive Director