SHOULD I DO DRUG COURT IN ETOWAH COUNTY, ALABAMA AFTER I PICKED UP A UPCS CHARGE?

GADSDEN, ALABAMA CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER EXPLAINS DRUG COURT

What is Drug Court?

Drug Courts are an alternative to the traditional criminal prosecution in a criminal court. Drug Court involves intensive treatment and drug education as an alternative to jail time, and is used to assist defendants in coping with their drug use, abuse and addiction. The goal of drug court is to keep the defendant as a contributing member of society rather than simply incarcerating the defendant and making them a burden on society due to the cost of incarceration. Drug Court in Etowah County requires you to sign up for random drug screenings with Community Corrections or CRO depending on your initial assessment. These screenings could be as often as three times a week or none in a week. They are completely random. Drug court also requires that you complete classes such as AA or NA.

If you attend and successfully complete a drug court program you will be able to preserve your freedom by staying out of jail, you will be drug-free, and your charges will be dismissed upon successful completion. Therefore, you will not have a criminal conviction on your record. In addition, because your charges are dismissed, after it. If time, you may apply for an expungement of the entire criminal record of your arrest and the criminal charges.

Make no mistake about it, drug court can be hard work. It is not an easy program, and requires serious effort on your part. You will be required to appear in court on a frequent basis for monitoring. You will also be required to take periodic drug tests. This will require you to report for drug test on a random basis, and often to call the drug court daily to determine whether you need to test on any particular day. You will be required to comply with the treatment program that the drug court supervisor designs for you. You’ll have to follow their directions in every way, and attended successfully any drug education are other classes required. More than anything, you will be required to remain drug-free. In addition you cannot pick up any new charges whatsoever. If you fail to comply with the drug court rules you could face a sanction. Sanctions can include termination from the drug court program, imposition of short jail stays, or incarceration for longer periods. In addition you could be required to undergo inpatient treatment for your drug problem if you fail to respond to more conservative methods of treatment.

What if I choose not to do drug court?

If you choose not to do drug court, then later you could possibly have an opportunity for you to enter the pretrial intervention program. This program is similar to drug court but is done strictly through community corrections and the Circuit Court. You would still have random drug screens with community corrections but would not likely have to do the AA meetings or other classes. This program is more costly up front as you must pay $900 to the DA’s office. In addition, you will have a monitoring fee of $70 per month.

Your other options are trial and/or plea to a felony.

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