JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) _ The Indiana Supreme Court has suspended a troubled southern Indiana drug court that's facing a federal lawsuit over the mistreatment of participants including some left incarcerated for months more than their sentences.
The immediate suspension ordered in a letter dated Friday and made public Wednesday bars the Clark County Drug Court from accepting new participants and to develop a plan for the future supervision of current participants.
At least four participants in the Jeffersonville drug court spent months in jail despite being ordered to serve only days or weeks behind bars. Indiana State Police and a special prosecutor are investigating its operations.
An attorney representing the court said it is cooperating with the investigation. He had no comment on the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that claims the court mistreated participants.
