What is Drug Court?
Drug Court is a special court designed to rehabilitate certain felony offenders through long-term comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services and immediate sanctions and incentives. The concept of drug court is a response to the recognition that the judicial and prison systems are overburdened by drug offenders, and that rehabilitation is a better solution than punishment through prison time.
According to the State of Mississippi Judiciary website "[d]rug court participants undergo long-term treatment and counseling,sanctions, incentives, and frequent court appearances. Successfulcompletion of the treatment program results in dismissal of thecharges, reduced or set aside sentences, lesser penalties, or acombination of these. Most importantly, graduating participants gainthe necessary tools to rebuild their lives." There are ten recognized "key components" of drug court, as published by the Drug Courts Program Office of the United States Department of Justice, they are:
You can find additional information about Mississippi drug courts on the State of Mississippi Judiciary website, including a list of frequently asked questions, here.
According to the State of Mississippi Judiciary website "[d]rug court participants undergo long-term treatment and counseling,sanctions, incentives, and frequent court appearances. Successfulcompletion of the treatment program results in dismissal of thecharges, reduced or set aside sentences, lesser penalties, or acombination of these. Most importantly, graduating participants gainthe necessary tools to rebuild their lives." There are ten recognized "key components" of drug court, as published by the Drug Courts Program Office of the United States Department of Justice, they are:
- Drug courts integrate alcohol and other drug treatment services with justice system case processing.
- Usinga non-adversarial approach, prosecution and defense counsel promotepublic safety while protecting participants' due process rights.
- Eligible participants are identified early and placed promptly in the drug court program.
- Drug courts provide access to a continuum of alcohol, drug, and other related treatment and rehabilitation services.
- Abstinence is monitored by frequent alcohol and other drug testing.
- A coordinated strategy governs drug court responses to participant compliance.
- Ongoing judicial interaction with each drug court participant is essential.
- Monitoring and evaluation measure the achievement of program goals and gauge effectiveness.
- Continuing interdisciplinary education promotes effective drug court planning, implementation and operations.
- Forgingpartnerships among drug courts, public agencies, and community-basedorganizations generates local support and enhances drug courteffectiveness.
You can find additional information about Mississippi drug courts on the State of Mississippi Judiciary website, including a list of frequently asked questions, here.
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