People who get caught in possession of prohibited drugs, such as cocaine, marijuana or heroin, as well as those illegally in possession of controlled substances like narcotic painkillers, will quickly learn that their addiction, which is a medical issue, carries significant criminal consequences.
Despite decades of ineffective penalties demonstrating that the criminalization of addiction has not deterred people from using drugs, overall drug crimes like possession remain some of the most common offenses for which people wind up arrested and prosecuted in North Carolina. Thankfully, the culture surrounding these charges has begun to change.
Recovery Courts are now an option in North Carolina, and there are multiple different kinds of Recovery Courts available for people in different life circumstances, including both Juvenile and Adult Drug Treatment Courts. These systems aim to end the addiction that contributes to criminal activity. For those facing addiction-related charges, the recovery courts could be an alternative to simply entering a guilty plea in the hope of a reduced sentence.
Adult Drug Treatment Court aims to help rehabilitate addicted offenders
Social research makes it pretty clear that locking someone up because of addiction will do very little to help them overcome that addiction. In fact, the trauma of incarceration and the prevalence of prohibited drugs within the penal system might reinforce the very addiction that sent someone to jail.
Adult Drug Treatment Court can still require inpatient rehabilitative services, which are functionally similar to incarceration. However, instead of locking a person away to punish them, they remain in a secure facility while attempting to understand and overcome their addiction.
Could you be a candidate for Adult Drug Treatment Court?
If you got arrested for a possession offense or a similar drug-related charge, and believe that addiction treatment may be the only way for you to overcome this issue, it may be worth exploring whether drug court is a viable option in your case. Adult Drug Treatment Court is an option for those facing certain drug-related felonies who secure a diagnosis of chemical dependence or borderline chemical dependence as part of their Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory III.
A careful review of the situation can help you better determine whether Adult Drug Treatment Courts could be an option for you when you face criminal charges.
