Today’s drug offenders often face serious consequences after committing drug-related crimes. Often, it is the drug addiction that drives an offender’s criminal behavior. If you count yourself among the many people across Indiana currently suffering from drug addiction, you may understand all too well how your addiction can make you do things you otherwise would never dream of doing under normal circumstances.
The goods news, though, is that if your drug-related crime was not a violent one, you may be able to enroll in an Indiana drug court. Drug courts are programs designed to help drug offenders kick their addictions, and, in turn, keep more of them out of the justice and prison systems. The National Institute of Justice reports drug courts can be highly effective. Just how do drug courts typically work, and how could you benefit from enrolling in one?
How drug courts operate
Drug court programs attempt to strike a careful balance between holding drug addicts accountable for their criminal behavior and giving them a potential means of getting better. Generally, drug court participants must commit to remaining clean and appearing regularly before program administrators throughout the drug court’s duration. If you enter a drug court, you must also typically agree to undergo periodic drug testing to make sure you hold true to your word.
Measuring drug court effectiveness
Just how helpful can a drug court be when it comes to helping you kick your addiction and avoid future criminal behavior? Research suggests that by participating in drug court, you can substantially lower the chance you will reenter the criminal justice system within the next several years. More specifically, the results of one study showed that felony re-arrest rates among drug court graduates fell nearly 30% within two years of completing the program. A separate study conducted in a different location, meanwhile, showed a 15% decline in the felony re-arrest rate among drug court graduates when compared with that of non-participants.
If you have a drug addiction causing you considerable hardship, find out whether you may be able to enroll in an Indiana drug court program.
