The Kootenai County Adult Drug Court Program is a specialized Treatment Court which provides an alternative to traditional prosecution. It handles crimes committed by medium to high-risk substance dependent offenders.
The team is led by the Drug Court Judge and consists of a prosecutor, defense counsel, treatment provider(s), coordinator, probation officer, jail staff and or law enforcement.
Participants are required to attend intensive outpatient treatment and appear before the same Drug Court Judge twice a month. Participants will be on intensive probation supervision and submit random observed drug tests at a minimum of twice per week.
The Drug Court program is approximately 15 - 18 months long and includes 4 phases and a 3-month Aftercare component. The length of time is based on individualized needs, treatment goals and phase competencies. Drug Court may extend the program or modify treatment to allow for additional time to successfully complete program requirements.
In September of 1998, Kootenai County judicial leaders along with criminal justice and drug treatment officials implemented the County's first Drug Court Program in the District Court.
Drug Courts represent a very nontraditional approach to criminal offenders who are substance dependent. Rather than focusing only on the crimes committed and the punishments they receive, Drug Court attempts to solve some of their underlying problems that may have contributed to the poor choices that lead to criminal behavior. If you decide to enter this program or are entering as a condition of probation, this opportunity will provide the support and supervision critical to helping you achieve your goals. Instead of jail or prison, you will enter a supervised, structured, treatment-based program designed to hold you accountable, and help you achieve sobriety.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Kootenai County Drug Court is to combine accountability, deterrence and treatment in a successful program to break the cycle of substance abuse and the criminal activity that it facilitates. This mission is accomplished by diverting felony drug offenders from confinement into a highly structured and cost-effective non-adversarial program that combines treatment, education, and intensive supervision.
Eligibility Criteria and Program Rules are in the Handbook
Participant Agreement
Accessing the Drug Court Program
Referral into the Drug Court program is made by a defense attorney, the prosecutor, probation officer or the judge The referral form is available here and needs to be filled out completely and emailed to txcourtreferrals@kootenai.idcourts.gov. This is the first step in the application process.
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