Do drug courts cooperate with addiction treatment centers? Oh, yes, they absolutely do. Drug courts exist in every state. Few judges want to send you to jail or prison. It costs money and everyone knows that incarceration doesn’t work for drug addiction. Courts would much rather send you for treatment rather than incarcerate someone with an addiction problem. That said, drug court is far from a get-out-of-jail free card.
What does Drug Court Do?
First of all, you must qualify for the program. States vary in this, but most won’t sentence you to drug rehab if you have a violent crime, either your present crime or a previous one. It typically must be a crime directly related to drug abuse, although this isn’t limited to drug offenses. If you’re charged with a theft or forgery crime due to drug abuse and you’re willing to admit this, this would still qualify you for drug court in most situations. Drug crimes involving manufacturing, possession for sale, distribution or cultivation may also disqualify you for drug court. These courts are looking to help drug abusers at the user level, not those who were arrested for promoting the problem and trying to make money off of the addictions of others.
Drug court may mean either outpatient or inpatient treatment. This is up to the judge, but not everyone is compelled to attend residential treatment. In fact, many drug courts have close relationships with certain local rehabs and may rely on their evaluation of your drug treatment needs. After all, the judge isn’t typically a drug treatment professional.
Respect the Program
However, whether it be outpatient or inpatient, you will work hard in a drug court program. You are constantly accountable to both the facility and the court and must attend regular court evaluations. If you’re in an outpatient program and therefore free in the community, appearing at these hearings is your responsibility. One failure to appear will usually result in the issuance of a bench warrant for your arrest.
You must remember one thing: Drug court doesn’t erase your crime per se. If you fail in any way to follow the court’s or the rehab’s requirements, you may find yourself facing your original charges and subject to sentencing by the very judge you just defied. Courts don’t like this much. When they give you a chance, they expect you to follow the rules and make the most of this chance. If you do not, be prepared to face the full wrath of the judge, the prosecutor and the law. The jails and prisons are full of drug court violators.
Follow the Rules
A small violation may result in a second chance, but that is up to the judge. Courts do understand that you have a problem and will probably not jail you for a single dirty test or something of that nature. If you slip and know you’re dirty, it’s best to just admit it. Your probation officer will find out about it anyway when the lab results come back. Both drug rehabs and the courts do respect personal accountability and understand that you may not get everything right the first time. However, more serious breaches and repeated violations will result in incarceration with no second chance. You can count on that.
In most cases, successful completion of the drug court’s required program will result in the total dismissal of your charges. This means you won’t have a conviction on your record, although the arrest itself may still appear. Employers may look at this differently, but in many states, only convictions really count. Of course, this policy may vary depending on the type of job involved, but an arrest will never carry the weight that a conviction would.
Local addiction treatment centers offer services in many cases. This may include picking you up directly from jail, providing an evaluation to the court, and assistance with financial arrangements. You will be responsible for paying for treatment and also any charges incurred from the court. Many people don’t know this, but you must actually pay to be in a probation program of any kind. Most courts will have some sort of payment program available. For example, if the total cost of the probation program is $3000, they will allow you to pay this off in monthly increments that are manageable for your budget. However, drug courts and other forms of probation are never free. The best-case scenario is that you have health insurance to pay for the rehab part at least.
We can Help
We have referrals and solutions available for any kind of drug treatment you may need, including court-mandated treatment. Just call us anytime at 844-903-2111 for the help and hope you’re looking for.