Drug Court in Illinois began as a pilot program in the northern counties, became successful, and is now mandated in all counties throughout the state. Warren County Public Defender Justin Bougher states the intense program is to assist addicts and provide them with tools they need to not continue to show up in a courtroom:
“It is a very intensive program. You spend two years; you start out going to court once a week. You meet with us, the entire team, the judge, police, defense attorneys, prosecutor, and treatment professionals. Everybody is in a room; we talk to them every week. You are drug tested three to four times a week. You are going to AA three times a week. You are going to individual counseling three times a week. It is a very intensive program and by phase four, the end of the program, you are meeting once a month, being drug tested once a month. So it starts out really intense then ween you off that and give you the life skills to go on after court after us,” Bougher informs.
The program has seen a 40 to 50 percent success rate in the local area.
