Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit
Adult Felony Drug Court Program
Judge Don W. Thompson
Contact Information:
Gretchen Neal
Drug Court Coordinator
Office Address
101 East Napier Street
LaFayette, Ga 30728
Mailing Address
PO Box 1726
LaFayette, Ga 30728
Phone: 706-639-0899
Fax: 706-639-1755
Email: gneal.lmjcdc@gmail.com
The LMJC Felony Drug Court serves offenders residing in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker Counties. This program began in 2017 to provide intervention to non- violent offenders with substance abuse issues.
Purpose
The purpose of the accountability court is to protect the community by decreasing drug- related crime, and reducing recidivism by changing the defendant’s drug-using behavior through accountability and community based treatment.
It is our goal to provide the necessary structure and treatment to addresses these issues, so that upon graduation, our participants can lead productive and meaningful lives. By utilizing the treatment model for rehabilitation, we not only restore the lives of participants but strengthen the family unit and the respective communities as a whole.
Court Goals
While the Drug Court Intervention Program promotes a positive interaction between the criminal justice system, community treatment agencies, and the offender; it also reaches several additional goals:
- Reduces participant contact with the criminal justice system
- Reduces costs associated with criminal case processing and recidivism
- Reduces jail overcrowding
- Introduces participants to an ongoing process of recovery designed to achieve total abstinence from illegal drugs and/or alcohol abuse
- Promote self-sufficiency and empower substance abusers to become productive and responsible members of the community
- Promote public safety
- Save tax payers money
- Early age intervention to help by breaking the process of cycling in and out of the system.
- Promote community awareness
- Restitution to the victim and/or community
Program Phases
The Drug Court program is a five phase intervention program for adults who have pled guilty to one or more non- violent drug offenses and who are having difficulty staying clean and sober.
- Phase 1: Stabilization and Early Recovery (3 months minimum)
- Phase 2: Understanding Recovery Principles and Skills (3 months minimum)
- Phase 3: Putting Recovery Principles and Skills into Practice (3 months minimum)
- Phase 4: Maintenance and Developing a Recovery Network (4 months minimum)
- Phase 5: Continuing Care (6 months minimum)
Program Requirements
The following is inclusive but not an exhaustive list:
- Attend weekly/bi-weekly/monthly court sessions to discuss progress or issues
- Submit to random drug screens as required
- Attend scheduled treatment sessions
- Maintain employment
- Pay weekly Drug Court fees
Participant eligibility and exclusion criteria
The following is inclusive but not an exhaustive list:
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Must reside in the counties that the drug court serves
- Must voluntarily agree to participate in the drug court program
- Must admit responsibility and plead guilty to the offense
- Must acknowledge substance abuse or addiction
- Must have been charged with at least one of the following: Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession with Intent to Distribute of Controlled Substance (where drug use is a contributing factor), Prescription drug offenses/Obtain Controlled Substance by Fraud, Theft, Forgery (or attempt to obtain)
Certain legal factors may exclude one from being eligible for the Drug Court program. These factors include:
- Illegal alien status
- A severe physical or mental handicap that would prevent program participation
- Previous record of violent felony; residential burglary or drug trafficking/distribution charges
- Felony weapon charges (an individual may reapply at a later date if charges are reduced)
- Gang affiliation
- Current felony charge of a more serious nature than drug charge
- Pending felony charges in other jurisdictions
- Prior sexual convictions or pending sexual offence charges
- Cannot be on parole