Court Services

Locations:

Hours of Operation:  Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm

What services do the above programs provide?
Clinical staff from Court Services works together with the judges, District Attorney’s Office, and defense attorneys to engage defendants in treatment.  This collaborative effort is designed to focus on chemical dependency issues that may have contributed to the offenses and to prevent recidivism into the criminal justice system.  Completion of treatment may, at the discretion of the District Attorney and/or judge, result in a lesser sentence/plea.  In some cases, participants may avoid incarceration.   In the Court Services programs, participants receive clinical assessments, treatment placements, case management, and crisis interventions.  Progress reports are sent to the Court on how the participants are progressing in treatment.

What are the eligibility requirements?
To be eligible for Court Services, the following conditions must be met:
           
Drug Treatment Court – Participants must be at least 21 years of age, facing a sentence of 90 days in jail, or have two prior criminal convictions.  Alcohol or substance abuse must have contributed to the pending charge.  Charges must be misdemeanors and violations with no pending felony charges.  The participant must acknowledge having a problem with chemical dependency and be willing to engage in treatment for one year.
 
Community Court – Participants must have an identifiable problem, such as substance abuse, mental health issues, educational/vocational deficits, inappropriate anger management, poor decision making, or poor coping skills, which contributed to their unlawful conduct.  Charges must be misdemeanors and violations with no pending felony charges.

Family Treatment Court – Participants are eligible if they have an open Child Protective Services case and are in need of treatment for chemical dependency, social services, housing, education, or employment.  The participant must acknowledge having a problem with chemical dependency.

STEP Program – Following DWI or DUI charges, participants can be referred by the Court, Probation Department or their attorneys, for clinical assessment to determine chemical dependency treatment needs.  Participants may also be referred for other charges that indicate a possible chemical dependency problem.
           
Is participation in the court programs voluntary?
Participation in the Drug Treatment Court, Community Court and Family Treatment Court programs is voluntary.  The Court may mandate participation in the STEP Program due to current DWI laws.   

Are there fees for these programs?