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Madison County specialty courts received a grant totaling almost $1 million.

A specialty court deals with defendants who have a psychological condition or an addiction. The money, provided by federal stimulus dollars, is helping defendants in those courts stay out of jail.

The county has had success with these programs and by combining the three different specialty courts. The hope is that by using diversion programs, offenders will stay out of trouble.

A portion of the grant will fund a study into how more diversion programs could help keep the county’s youth out of trouble.

“The ultimate goal is we won’t have them in the criminal courts re-offending and sending them back to prison, which will save tax payers money,” Judge George Pancol said.

While the funds are expected to run the program for the next two years, there is no guarantee for the future. An additional seven workers are expected to be hired into the program - one of which will be the program’s coordinator, whose goal will be to secure funds for the next year.