First Judicial District Department of Correctional Services Drug Court Program

The Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program is designed to assist states, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments in developing and establishing drug courts for substance-abusing adult and juvenile offenders. Drug court programs funded by the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program are required by law to target nonviolent offenders. The program supports the following activities: adult drug court implementation, single jurisdiction drug court enhancement, statewide drug court enhancement, and planning efforts.

The First Judicial District Department of Correctional Services will use the drug court implementation grant funds to provide services for participants through four phases of treatment. Participants must complete phase requirements to the satisfaction of the drug court team before moving onto the next phase. Behaviors required in the earlier phases will continue to be expectations in the later phases. Program phases will include Phase I'Stabilization (90 days), Phase II'Acceptance (150 days), Phase III'Maintenance (120 days), and Phase IV'Aftercare (90 days). The primary goals of the program will include: 1) Increase the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment and supervision, 2) Reduce the number of chemically dependent offenders going to prison, 3) Reduce substance abuse related crimes and victims in the project counties, and 4) Reduce substance use and recidivism of offenders. SASC will provide a continuum of treatment services incorporating a cognitive-behavioral, evidence-based curriculum. Each participant will have an active role in the creation of their individual treatment plan. The treatment plan will be holistic and may integrate several need areas in addition to substance abuse. Participants will meet weekly with the Drug Court Team for review hearings in addition to individual counseling appointments and treatment groups. Contact may decrease as clients progress through the program. The drug court team will meet on a weekly basis to specifically discuss client progress and participate in drug court proceedings. Sanctions and rewards will be administered as soon after the behavior as possible, but generally within three days. Individualized incentives for positive program participation may include later curfews, decreased frequency of drug court attendance or contact requirements with drug court staff, gift certificates, travel privileges, certificates of accomplishment, and verbal praise by drug court staff. Any time there is an incident of substance use, the client will be expected to report the incident within twenty-four hours, take responsibility for the behavior, take concrete steps to prevent future use, and will be evaluated for a possible increase in the level of treatment. Sanctions will be imposed for substance use or non-compliance while considering the client's level of responsibility and honesty. Process and outcome evaluations will be completed by the Institute for Social and Economic Development. The process evaluation of the drug court will determine the extent to which the program is implemented as designed, identify barriers to successful implementation, and document steps taken to overcome those barriers. Findings will be communicated in quarterly and annual evaluation reports. The outcome evaluation of the Drug Court will determine the extent to which the program results in improved offender outcomes. Outcome data will be analyzed and reported in quarterly and annual evaluation reports.

CA/NCF