Overview

Drug Court is a specialized court-centered treatment program designed for nonviolent defendants with addiction and substance abuse dependency problems.

It serves as a jail alternative for defendants, allowing each defendant to participate in treatment while receiving intensive supervision, judicial interaction, mandatory drug and/or alcohol testing, case management, and the use of court-imposed incentives and sanctions to assist in breaking the cycle of substance use. The primary goal of the Drug Court is to focus on sobriety, accountability and to strive to reduce recidivism.

Admission into Drug Court

The process for acceptance into drug court begins with a referral at the time of sentencing. A referral may also take place during a probation violation hearing. A recommendation to the Drug Court Program may be made by the Probation Officer, Case Attorney’s, and/or the District Court Judge. When the Probation Officer makes a recommendation for consideration of the Drug Court Program through a PSR or records check, that officer should give notice to the Drug Court Program Director, the DA assigned along with the assigned defense attorney and District Court Judge.

When a referral takes place, the defendant will be required to report to the drug court office immediately after the conclusion of the dispositional hearing. If the defendant is in detention, he or she should be advised to report the drug court office immediately upon release. The Program Director will make arrangements for the initial screening by the drug court office and an intake by the treatment care provider.

After the screening and intake have been completed, the Drug Court Team will meet and consider if the defendant meets the eligibility standards for acceptance into the program. The final authority regarding eligibility standards is the Drug Court Judge. If the referral is denied, the case is sent back to the District Court and the sentencing District Court Judge.

The defendant will not be accepted into the Drug Court Program until he or she is sentenced or ordered (probation violators) into the Program. This includes having a signed Judgment and Sentence, with signatures from the District Court Judge, the District Attorney assigned to the case, and the Defense Attorney. This is required.