During National Treatment Court Month, in May every year, treatment courts across the country focus on spreading the message of their mission, sharing their successes, educating the public, and interacting with elected officials.
Treatment Courts include drug treatment courts, veterans treatment courts, and mental health or behavioral health treatment Courts. They focus on treating substance abuse and mental health issues that are afflicting individuals who end up in the criminal justice system as an alternative to incarceration.
Many counties across Virginia have drug, veterans, and mental health treatments dockets (but not every county, and the counties that have one court may not have the others. For more specific information on which counties in Virginia have specific treatment dockets, click here.
Drug Court
Drug Courts in Virginia are alternatives to incarceration for individuals afflicted with substance abuse issues who are charged with drug offenses or their charges relate to drug use. It is an intensive program focused on providing treatment to those who are high risk and high need. Upon successful completion of the program, the individual’s charges will either be reduced or dismissed, depending on the agreement reached between the participant’s attorney and the Commonwealth Attorney prior to entering the program.
The purpose of drug courts is to reduce recidivism, provide treatment, and help not only the individual participating in the program but also the community.
Every county that has a drug court in Virginia will have their own requirements for participation, but generally an individual wishing to participate must be a county resident, be determined to be high risk/high need of services, and be willing to participate in the program. The participants will generally be required to come to court once every two weeks, abstain from drugs and/or alcohol, be subject to random drug screens, comply with their individual treatment. There may be some other requirements such as a prohibition on individuals charged with certain types of offenses participating or certain offenses on that person’s criminal record.
More Information on Drug Courts in Virginia
For more information on Drug Treatment Courts in Virginia, click here.
For more information on the Drug Treatment Court in Prince William County, click here.
For more information on the Drug Treatment Court in Alexandria, click here.
For more information on the Drug Treatment Court in Arlington, click here.
For more information on the Drug Treatment Court in Culpeper, click here.
For more information on the Drug Treatment Court in Loudoun County, click here.
For more information on the Drug Treatment Court in the Rappahannock Region, click here.
Veterans Court
May is National Treatment Court Month
Veterans treatment dockets in Virginia focus on providing special services for veterans charged with crimes who also suffer from substance abuse and/or mental health issues.
Like drug courts, veterans dockets are meant to be an alternative to traditional criminal justice procedures. The focus is to provide services and treatment to address the underlying issue which contributed to the criminal behavior. The purpose of these dockets is to provide an alternative to incarceration and upon successful completion will result in a reduction in or possible dismissal of charges. They focus on high risk/high needs veterans who are at risk to commit new crimes because of their underlying issues and need treatment services.
The veterans docket requires work from the participant and is very intensive. It requires that the veteran appear in court every two weeks, comply with random drug tests, and following-through with his or her individual treatment or counseling requirements. Participants will be rewarded for progress made but also will be penalized for poor behavior in the program.
There are certain requirements that participants must meet before entering the program, and if someone is interested in the veterans treatment docket that person should contact the individual county which would be adjudicating the charge. For purposes of the Veterans Treatment Docket, a “veteran” is someone who was a current or former member of any branch of active duty military national guard or reserves regardless of whether that individual was deployed or had combat experience. The participant must be willing to participate in program and treatment. There are Veteran peer mentors who participate in the dockets to provide support for the Veterans pursuing treatment.
More Information on Veterans Dockets in Virginia
Five counties in Virginia currently have Veterans Dockets: Prince William County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, the Rappahannock Region, and Norfolk.
For more general information on Veterans Dockets in Virginia, click here.
For more information on the Veterans Docket in Prince William County, click here.
For more information on the Veterans Docket in Fairfax County, click here.
For more information on the Veterans Docket in Loudoun County, click here.
For more information on the Veterans Docket in the Rappahannock Region, click here.
For more information on the Veterans Docket in Norfolk, click here.
For more general information on services for veterans in Virginia provided by the Virginia Department of Veteran Services, click here.
Mental Health Treatment Courts
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