NCJ Number
239065
Date Published
2012
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This copy of a Web page provides information on the Douglas County Drug Court addresses its goals, eligibility criteria, the program acceptance process, and the drug court's liaison with the community.
Abstract
The Douglas County Drug Court was started in January 1996 for the purpose of handling cases that involve felony drug-addicted and alcohol-addicted offenders. The court manages an extensive supervision and treatment program. It emphasizes a cooperative approach that involves the drug court judge, prosecutor, defense counsel, substance abuse treatment specialist, and probation officer. The combined efforts of these court personnel are to monitor the offender in a concerted effort to deal with his/her substance abuse problem. Eligible offenders are provided an alternative to incarceration that involves mandatory drug treatment monitored by intensive supervision. In order to be eligible for processing by the drug court, offenders must have been charged with a crime that involved controlled substances, other than delivery or manufacture. Probationers who have a drug problem that cannot be successfully treated through regular supervision are also eligible for drug court processing. Those who meet eligibility requirements are arraigned, and the Drug Court program is explained to them. The defendant is then given 2 weeks to decide whether he/she is willing to participate in the Drug Court Program. Those who accept the offer are sent to the treatment specialist for assessment, followed by the development of an appropriate treatment plan that is then monitored for compliance. The partnerships between the Drug Court, local businesses, educational institutions, and vocational entities has resulted in the development of a jobs program and a continuing educational program that are available to Drug Court participants in the later stages of the treatment program.