If you receive a drug charge in Tennessee, there is a chance that you may receive an offer to enter a drug court program as an alternative to imprisonment. Whether you receive such an invitation will depend, at least to some extent, on your criminal history and the details surrounding your crime.
Drug courts seek to help drug addicts beat their addictions and keep them from committing other drug-related crimes, and according to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, they work quite well. Part of the reason drug courts are effective for so many lies in the fact that they essentially force compliance in terms of abstaining from drug use. This is true because, as a participant, you must make regular appearances before a judge and undergo regular drug testing and counseling.
In addition to helping you combat your drug addiction in the short-term, drug courts also have positive, lasting results on crime. In fact, when compared with other sentencing options, such as jail time, drug courts reduce future criminal activity by as much as 45 percent. Furthermore, about three-quarters of all drug court graduates nationwide remain arrest-free two years after completing the program.
Your children and family may also benefit from your participation in drug court. Studies show that you are 50 percent more likely to reunite with your family members if you participate in drug court. Additionally, your children are far less likely to have to spend time living in the care of someone else, such as a foster family, because of your participation in the program.
This information seeks to give you a general idea about the effectiveness of drug court, but it is not a substitute for legal advice.