Will County has received a $30,000 federal grant that will enable county judicial officials to plan a separate court to handle most drug-related cases that are referred to the county’s Circuit Court.
The grant from the U.S. Justice Department will allow county officials to research the feasibility and how to best create such a court, according to Will County State’s Atty. James Glasgow, whose office applied for the grant this year.
Glasgow noted the grant will allow the county to put together a proposed program designed not only to more effectively prosecute drug offenders but also treat them more effectively in an effort to free them from drug abuse.
“Such a court in Will County would offer drug offenders meaningful alternatives to incarceration,” Glasgow said, adding that such a court also would help relieve the significant case backlogs in the Will County Circuit Court.
If Will County succeeds in putting together a feasible plan for a drug court, it could then apply for additional federal funding from the Justice Department to create the court.