Nixa officials are working to better assist offending citizens through a new program called Community Alternative Sentencing Court, or CASC.
Nixa judge and founder of CASC, Joel Harris partnered with attorneys and Nixa law enforcement to develop the program. He says it will help repeat offenders break the cycle of low-level crime.
“The idea behind the court is that we’re going to take offenders who are kind of in a systemic problem, a rut in the court system, you might say, and we are going to give them an alternative form of sentencing,” Harris states.
Instead of offenders paying fines or court costs, treatment options will be offered to those struggling with drug addiction, alcohol abuse, mental health, unemployment or poverty, and homelessness.
“It helps them kind of have a hand up at the same time addressing the systemic issue that caused the criminal activity in the first place,” Harris says.
According to Harris, specialty courts are all across the state, but not many are structured at the municipal level.
The CASC team reached out to service providers to discuss the type of services that would be needed for the program. It has collaborated with organizations such as Missouri State University, Burrell Behavioral Health among various others.
“And through a cooperative effort, we’re able to sit down and address each of these individualized needs to the specialty court,” Harris adds.
The program is welcoming any businesses, companies, and volunteers that can help provide assistance or service to the program participants.
For information about how to get involved, contact Judge Joel Harris at 417-724-8003.