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.
