It is reported that Pennington County was granted $1.75 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to find ways to reduce incarceration. $20,000 of that money was ear-marked last week for an “indigent fund”.
With the indigent fund, money will only be available for a person if they meet certain criteria and a circuit court judge approves the use by a defendant.
“They have to be deemed indigent by the court, [they] have to be on bond, and they can only do it one time,” said Whitcher.