How Drug Courts Help Addicts And Communities

If you are among the many Americans suffering from drug addiction, you may have firsthand knowledge about just how hard it can be to kick your habit once and for all. Statistically, without undergoing treatment and having someone or something hold you accountable for your actions, your chances of staying clean are relatively slim.

Drug courts, however, work to keep drug offenders like you not only out of the prison system, but off drugs, too. Though not yet available everywhere, drug courts require that you appear regularly before a court and undergo regular drug testing, and they generally involve some type of drug treatment as well. They also have positive, proven results that benefit not only you, but your surrounding community, too. For example, drug courts:

Reduce your odds of being rearrested

In comparison to housing you in a traditional prison setting to penalize you for a drug-related crime, placing you into a drug court program considerably reduces the chance you will return to jail or court. Moreover, about three-quarters of all who graduate from drug court do not reenter the prison system two years later.

Help reunite separated families

Your children and family are also likely to benefit because of your entry into a drug court. Not only are you far more likely to effectively finish drug treatment, meaning you are more likely to kick your addiction for good, and for the betterment of your family, but your kids are also less likely to live in out-of-home placement settings because of your behavior.

Save communities considerable money

You may also save your surrounding community a good bit of money, should you enter a drug court program as opposed to a jail cell. For every $1 invested into a drug court, the community saves up to $3.36 when compared with traditional criminal penalties.

Whether you are eligible for drug court depends on various factors, such as the details of your offense and whether such programs exist in your area.

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