Welcome to Bradley County, Tennessee - Juvenile Drug Court Details

Drug Court

Program Details

The Bradley County Juvenile Drug Court’s goals are to provide participants and their families with the educational tools and support you will need in order to make lifestyle changes. These tools will assist in breaking the cycle of substance use/abuse and crime. (In other words holding the participant accountable for his/her actions.) The program will assist in reaching this goal by providing the following services:

Judicial Supervision
Substance Abuse Treatment
Probation Supervision
Intensive Case Management
Training and Educational Services
Random Drug Screening

All of the above services are intended to help create a better and stable lifestyle.

Participants and their families will be expected to follow the rules of the program outlined by the Drug Court Team and the Referee. These requirements are in addition to your probation and case management requirements. Participants will also be responsible for complying with treatment plans developed by a treatment provider. All participants will be provided the educational tools needed to successfully obtain a drug free lifestyle.

The ultimate goal of the program is for the participant to be a productive family member and citizen within the community by attending school, following house rules, making good grades and abstaining from alcohol and drugs.

This program is not easy. It requires many hours of participation by the juvenile and their families. However, cooperation with the Drug Court Team, Referee, Probation Officer, and Case Manager will keep the amount of time the participant is in the program at a minimum.

Eligibility Criteria

Offender must be charged within Bradley County.
Offender must be between 12-17 years of age.
The current charge must be a non-violent, drug or property-related felony or misdemeanor.
Offender cannot have habitual motor vehicle violations.
Offender cannot have any outstanding charges or holds in any other court outside the district.
Offender cannot have current sex offender charges or be a sex offender.
Offender must be a resident of Bradley County.
Offender cannot be an illegal alien.
Offender cannot act as an active informant.
Offender must be on court supervision.
Offender must be substance abusing.
Offender cannot be acutely mentally ill or suicidal.
Offender cannot have a significant history of drug trafficking.

Program Expectations and Rules

The following is a list of program expectations for the Bradley County Juvenile Drug Court. Many of these rules are the same as the Bradley County Juvenile Court Rules of Probation. However, there are some additions. All of these rules are designed to keep participants on track to graduate the program and become responsible citizens of the community. Failure to follow these rules could result in an immediate sanction.

· Participants must attend all scheduled Juvenile Drug Court sessions

· Participants must participate in drug rehabilitation treatment.

· Participants must be on time for all scheduled appointments with case management, probation officer, drug treatment, community service and any other court ordered program.

· Participants may not use any alcohol, drugs, or tobacco while on the program.

· Participants will submit to random drug and alcohol screens administered by probation officers, case management, or treatment.

· Participants must contact probation officer/or case manager if they have any contact with law enforcement, prescribed any drug by a doctor, are going to be absent from school or drug treatment, or if they are going to miss court.

· Participants in Phases I and II will not participate in overnight stays (sleepovers) with friends at home or anyone else’s home.

· Parents are required to complete the Parent Project or alternative family counseling.

· Court costs, restitution, and all community service must be completely accounted for before graduation of the program.

· Participants must follow all the rules of probation.

Incentives and Sanctions

In the Bradley County Juvenile Drug Court Program we have a variety of consequences to offset negative behavior. The Drug Court also likes to reward for exceptional citizenship and we try to keep a plentiful supply of rewards on hand. This is a list of common incentives and sanctions. However, there could be additions and subtractions to this list without notice.

Incentives	Sanctions
Gift Cards	Community Service Work
Reduction in Court Appearances	24 Hour Curfew
Verbal Praise	Essays
Reduction in Court Meetings	Detention
Phase Advancement	Lengthening Time in the Program, phase demotion, and additional judicial reviews.
Reduction in Curfew	Loss of Privileges
Certificates	Impounding of property

Program Phases

The Juvenile Drug Court consists of a short three week probationary period followed by four phases. Each phase is a minimum of nine weeks and as the participant advances, each phase will become less and less intensive. For phase advancement the participant must be drug free, comply with drug treatment and probationary rules, and comply with rules of parent and school. All participants must participate in drug treatment be in school, seeking their GED, or working.

Probationary Period	Will meet with probation/ case management weekly. If Drug Court Team feels juvenile is a good fit for the program they will move on to Phase I. Random drug testing will occur. Time Period: 3 Weeks.
Phase I	24 hour curfew for the first 30 days, weekly judicial reviews, weekly meetings with case management and probation. Random drug tests. Must be drug free at least 30 days. Time Period: 9 Weeks minimum.
Phase II	Bi-weekly judicial reviews, weekly meetings with case management and probation, random drug tests, less intensive drug treatment. Must be drug free at least 45 days. Time Period: 9 Weeks minimum.
Phase III	At least bi-weekly judicial reviews, weekly meetings with case management and probation, random drug tests, less intensive drug treatment. Must be drug free at least 45 days. Time Period: 9 Weeks minimum.
Phase IV	At least bi-weekly judicial reviews, weekly meetings with case management and probation, less intensive supervision, random drug tests, less intensive drug treatment. Must be drug free at least 90 days. Time Period: 9 Weeks minimum.

Graduation

When the participant has successfully completed all four phases of the program, completed all community service work, paid court cost and restitution, and is drug free, the drug court team may decided the program has been successful and there will be a graduation ceremony.

The Drug Court Team will determine phase advancement, as well as, the date of graduation from the program. The final approval for graduation will be determined by the Juvenile Drug Court Referee.

Graduation is a tremendous accomplishment! When a participant has reached this point of the program they have demonstrated major changes in their life!

Remember, the more compliant the participant and their families are the faster the program will move.