VALPARAISO | The Porter County commissioners called on the sheriff Tuesday evening to expand a successful substance abuse treatment program at the jail.

Commissioner Bob Harper, who works as a defense attorney, said male inmates have to wait to get into the program because of space limitations.

He asked Sheriff Dave Lain to see if Porter-Starke Services, which administers the program, would be willing to provide an additional instructor for male inmates.

"I think it's just another thing we can do to address the drug problem," Harper said.

Lain said Porter-Starke is already looking into its options.

"We can accommodate another men's class," he said.

The Chemical Addiction and Dependency program is a 100-hour class that has a recidivism rate of between 40 percent and 50 percent among its graduates, as compared to the typical recidivism rate at the jail of 65 percent to 70 percent, Lain said. Nearly all the inmates at the jail have addiction problems, he said.

The commissioners renewed the county's contract Tuesday with Porter-Starke for two full-time instructors this year. The program is offered to male and female inmates.

The county pays for one instructor, and inmate fees cover most of the cost of the second instructor, Lain said.

Porter County Commissioner John Evans opposed a move by judges to require offenders to take part in the program as part of their sentences.

"I just don't want to see it cheapened," he said.

Lain said the program has been effective, even among inmates who don't want to take part at first. He added a twist to the adage that a horse can be led to water, but not made to drink.

"Well, judges can," he said.