By Daniel Cicchini, Marion County Prosecutor's Office
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears and the Prosecutor’s Office is taking a new approach to helping individuals experiencing homelessness and individuals struggling with substance use disorders and mental health issues gain stability and avoid the criminal justice system. The Quality of Life Unit is focused on identifying and helping individuals charged with low-level, non-violent offenses who are also struggling with homelessness, substance use disorders and mental health issues. The unit began taking cases in April 2021. Director of the Quality of Life Unit Jennifer Joy describes their mission: “We’re trying to do something different to solve problems that have been around for a long time. We work with the participants to find out what they need to help break the cycle of homelessness.”
The Quality of Life Unit is comprised of six attorneys and support staff. The unit partners with a growing list of local organizations and agencies, including law enforcement. They receive referrals for potential participants from defense attorneys, Horizon House, Adult and Child, Wheeler Mission Ministry and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, to name a few. Connecting participants with wraparound services—housing in particular—to address a variety of issues is key to their success. Joel Schneider, a deputy prosecutor assigned to the unit, describes it as “once someone obtains housing, everything else seems to fall into place. When you have a place to rest your head at night, you can get a job or get into treatment. It puts the individual in a place to succeed.”
The unit, as a component of the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, works with individuals after criminal charges have been filed. Joy described the charges most likely to come into their program as “crimes of instability: criminal trespass, public intoxication, disorderly conduct and low-level drug offenses.” The unit, the participant, their attorney and service providers work together to identify the most pressing issues confronting the individual. Next, the prosecutor’s office, participant and the attorney file an agreement with the court outlining the goals the participant will accomplish over the next three months. Although each agreement is tailored to the individual, “mental health and substance abuse treatment are common terms” says Schneider, who works closely with service providers.
Despite the program starting with a criminal case, the Quality of Life Unit is not limited to the courtroom to engage participants. Schneider will often meet participants and service providers in the community to check-in on their progress and see if there is more the prosecutor’s office can do. Once the individual has accomplished the goals laid out in the agreement and provided documentation of their success, the office will dismiss the charges.
In addition to the work with individuals charged with criminal offenses, the unit is taking proactive steps to prevent crime. Quality of Life team members Taffanee Keys and Mariann Scott are spearheading initiatives throughout various Indianapolis communities. Their work is focused on raising awareness about preventable crimes and how community members can help safeguard their neighborhoods. The work includes connecting individuals experiencing homelessness with services to help avoid the desperation that often leads to crimes of instability.
Although the Quality of Life Unit has only been accepting cases since April of this year, Schneider describes the response from the judiciary as “overwhelmingly positive.” Joy and her team look forward to expanding the unit’s reach to help as many of our community’s most vulnerable as possible, with the goal of putting them on stable path and away from the courthouse doors.
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