Grant creates alternative to jail for opioid offenders

HAGERTOWN, Md. (AP) — Gov. Larry Hogan is announcing a $540,000 state grant to test an alternative to incarceration for those convicted of nonviolent crimes linked to heroin or opioid addiction.

It's called a day reporting center, and it's planned for a vacant office building near the Washington County Sheriff's Office near Hagerstown.

Hogan said in a statement Monday that the center will combine drug-addiction treatment with supervised probation. Offenders who are sent there will have to be employed or actively seeking employment.

Hogan says the six-month program aims to help offenders become productive citizens.

He says the project is a key recommendation of the state's Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force.

Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford says that if it succeeds, the program will serve as a statewide model.

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