Butler County is shuffling money around to keep its drug court running for a fourth year.

Under the program, eligible defendants are diverted from incarceration to receive treatment for their addictions.

The county received three years of state grant money totaling $277,000 to create the drug court, but that funding ended this summer.

To offset that loss, the county is diverting Drug & Alcohol money from the intervention program at the county prison to the drug court.

The county prison board last week approved dipping into the inmate commissary fund to make up the difference, which county officials estimate to be $45,000.

Donna Jenereski, director of the county Drug & Alcohol program, said the prison program educates inmates about addiction while the drug court diverts people into actual treatment.

Jenereski said the dollars had to be reallocated to ensure that the drug court continues.

“That frees up a chunk of money,” she said.

However, Jenereski said taking that step doesn’t mean prisoner education isn’t needed.

“I fully support it,” she said.

District Attorney Richard Goldinger agreed.

“Both programs are vital,” he said.

Goldinger, a prison board member, said the diversion of defendants is essential because that’s the best way to treat their addictions, which is meant to reduce the number of repeat offenders in the court system.

“Drug court is too vital to go away,” he said.

Goldinger estimated roughly 50 people have been in drug court since it began.

The defendant must be a nonviolent offender to be eligible for the diversion from prison.

Tom Holman, deputy court administrator, said county court supports both diversion and inmate education.

“The need of people with drug and alcohol addictions is incredibly high,” Holman said.

He said the challenge is using a limited amount of money where it will have the most impact.

“We wish there was more money for treatment,” Holman said.

The drug court startup money came from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency, which required the county to match the $277,000, which was distributed over the three years, with a total of roughly $257,000.