Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett wants to end jail overcrowding in Marion County and provide pre-K education for all Indianapolis school children.
Hogsett gave his first State of the City address last night. He touted the accomplishments already made during his first three months in office and what to expect for the rest of the year. That includes a long-term plan to solve the problem of an overcrowded Marion County Jail.
“A new building will not solve our crime problem. The time has come for holistic data driven and far reaching reform in our criminal justice process," Hogsett said. "The time has come for us to put an emphasis on the identification of non violent inmates suffering from serious mental illnesses and to have them receive treatment from health care professionals rather than keeping them locked away in jail."
To do that Hogsett is creating a new criminal justice task force that will offer a comprehensive plan that could be put into place by the end of this year. The mayor has also signed orders for more city street lights and a summer jobs program for Marion County teens.
“Over the course of the next nine weeks more than 1,000 young people will receive the skills the paycheck and the simple hope that come with a summer job,” Hogsett said.
The Mayor wants to continue what he calls his “new model” of governing.
“We have focused our efforts around particular issues and the challenges we face rather than the parties we belong to," he said. "And we must keep moving forward in that same fashion.”
The Mayor also called on state lawmakers to develop legislation to create pre-K education programs for all children in Marion county.
