A California drug charge carries serious, potentially life-altering penalties. Depending on the nature and seriousness of your offense, you may be facing considerable time behind bars as part of your penalty. However, in some cases, you may be able to reduce how much harm a drug charge winds up causing you while learning how to abstain from your substance of choice at the same time.
Per the County of San Joaquin, drug courts are necessary because between 60% and 85% of all crimes that occur at the state and local levels involve drugs. Somewhere between 60% and 85% of all offenders who commit crimes at the state or local levels also test positive for drugs at the time of their arrests.
How the drug court program works
If you enter drug court in San Joaquin County, you should expect to partake in individual and group therapy sessions in addition to other possible therapies recommended by the court. During your time in court, also plan on attending status hearings so court administrators may monitor your progress. Court administrators may sanction you for failing to follow drug court rules. However, you may also receive incentives for following those same rules.
Who may be eligible
Drug court may be available to you if you face a drug-related misdemeanor or felony charge and acknowledge that you have a substance abuse dependency. However, if your drug charge involved violence, or if you have a history of violence, this typically excludes you from program consideration.
Many people who graduate from drug court find that it not only helps their cases but also helps them regain control over many areas of their lives.