The proven, positive effects of drug court

If you are charged with a drug-related crime in Colorado, you may justifiably have concerns about how your possible conviction might impact your life. Jail time, steep fines and substance abuse treatment are all possible consequences for your actions, but depending on your criminal history and the details surrounding your offense, you may have an alternative option available to you.

Drug courts are supervised programs available to some nonviolent drug offenders. The main sentiment behind drug courts is that they can hold you accountable for your actions, but they can also help you beat your addiction for good, which may keep you from committing additional crimes. According to the National Association of Drug Court professionals, these programs have numerous proven, positive effects. For example, drug courts:

Encourage compliance

If you have ever tried to “white knuckle” your way through a drug addiction or quit your substance of choice “cold turkey,” you probably understand that these methods are not often successful. Drug courts, however, essentially force you to comply with their rules and regulations, and they do so, in part, by making you fear the alternative – time behind bars. By subjecting yourself to regular drug tests and appearances before the judge, you have little choice other than to comply with the program, which in turn can force you to kick your addiction once and for all.

Have positive effects on families

If your drug addiction has negatively impacted your familial relationships, your participation in drug court can be a great first step toward mending those broken bonds. If you are a parent in drug court, you are twice as likely as nonparents to successfully complete substance abuse treatment. Furthermore, your children become far less likely to spend long amounts of time in out-of-home placement settings if you participate in drug court.

These are just a few of the many proven benefits of drug court. If you are facing a Colorado drug charge, you may want to look into whether drug court might be an option for you.