Keirns will provide day-to-day oversight of nationally renowned program
Fort Wayne, Ind. – Magistrate Samuel R. Keirns has joined the leadership team that oversees Allen Superior Court’s nationally renowned Re-Entry Court program.
Keirns, who has served as Magistrate in Superior Court’s Criminal Division since 2011, will oversee daily operations of Re-Entry Court. Judge John F. Surbeck, Jr., who has presided over Re-Entry Court since its inception, will continue serving as supervising Judge.
Re-Entry Court was a first-of-its-kind approach to transitioning offenders back into the community upon their release from confinement. Re-Entry Court began in July 2001. The program, administered through Allen County Community Corrections, was certified by the State of Indiana as a Problem-Solving Court in August 2009.
Allen Superior Court’s Re-Entry Court program became a national model for such programs. In recognition of the program’s innovative nature, Judge Surbeck received the William H. Rehnquist Award from the United States Supreme Court in November 2012. Judge Surbeck was the first Hoosier to win the Rehnquist award.
“Those are the shoes I’ll be trying to fill,” Keirns said. “It is a tremendous compliment that Judge Surbeck believes I am up to this challenge. There is a great team in place in Re-Entry Court. It is really a matter of maintaining the excellence that Judge Surbeck has instilled.”
Since its inception, the program has worked with 2,642 felony offenders returning to the community. The program’s focus is on transitioning offenders back into the community through assistance with stable housing, employment, and connection to treatment services.
Additional leadership in Re-Entry Court became necessary as Judge Surbeck has taken a leadership role in the Indiana Supreme Court’s pre-trial release project. That project is looking for methods other than cash bonds for ensuring that low-risk offenders appear in court. Surbeck’s Criminal Division caseload has also surged in recent years.
“Magistrate Keirns will be a tremendous asset to Re-Entry Court,” Surbeck said. “He is experienced, thoughtful and he relates well to our clients. He has the perfect grasp of the tools available help people make the difficult transition from prison back into society.”
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