What is a drug court sentence?

As the name implies, drug courts are specifically for persons with substance use disorders. These court programs offer individuals the opportunity to enter long-term drug treatment and agree to court supervision rather than receiving a jail sentence.

How long is drug court in PA?

twelve months
The Drug Court Program involves a minimum time commitment of twelve months, followed by a period of Aftercare. The length of the Aftercare component is based on the criminal charges for which the participant is being supervised, one year for misdemeanors and three years for felonies.

What does it mean when you get terminated from Drug Court?

Drug Court typically involves a plea held in abeyance while you complete the program, and successful completion results in dismissal and no conviction. Opting out means you have a conviction on your record and face whatever punishment the judge deems appropriate.

How successful are drug courts?

In each analysis, the results revealed that Drug Courts significantly reduced re-arrest or reconviction rates by an average of approximately 8 to 26 percent, with the “average of the averages” reflecting approximately a 10 to 15 percent reduction in recidivism.

What are the phases of drug court?

TITLE: Drug Court Phase Progression

• PHASE I: STABILIZATION.
• PHASE II-RECOVERY:
• PHASE III-ABSTINENCE:
• PHASE IV-PRE-RELEASE:
• PHASE V-SUPPORT:

What is Pennsylvania Drug Court?

Drug Court Programs were created for people with substance abuse problems who have been arrested or charged with drug possession. They typically combine mandatory drug testing, substance abuse treatment, and judicial supervision to help people get off drugs and out of the criminal justice system.

Why do drug courts fail?

To be fair, much of what ails drug courts is a product of larger, structural failures in the U.S. criminal justice and health care systems: the criminalization and routinely severe punishment of drug possession, the lack of health insurance and other ways to pay for quality care, the wariness of prosecutors who fear …

What are the three types of drug courts?

Across the state, local agencies have developed adult, juvenile, and dependency drug courts, which generally fall into one of four models.

How effective are drug courts?

Most of the available studies found that drug court participation had at least a small effect on preventing recidivism. A meta-analysis found that, on average, drug courts reduced recidivism by 7.5\% (Lowenkamp et al., 2005).

What is the problem with drug courts?

What are the 4 phases of drug court?

Drug courts usually employ a multiphased treatment process, generally divided into a stabilization phase, an intensive treatment phase, and a transition phase. The stabilization phase may include a period of AOD detoxification, initial treatment assessment, education, and screening for other needs.