Drug Court

Kentucky Drug Court seeks to intervene and break the cycle of substance abuse, addiction and crime by coordinating the efforts of the judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement and mental health, social services and treatment providers. Today there is irrefutable evidence that Drug Court is achieving what it set out to do — substantially reduce drug use and criminal behavior in drug-addicted offenders.

Since the mid-1980s, court dockets across the nation have become overloaded with drug cases and drug-involved offenders. While incarceration removes individuals from their drug-abusing lifestyles for a period of time, addicts who don't receive treatment, education and life-skills training often return to the same cycle of drug use and criminal activity.

Adult Drug Court helps combat those problems through a supervised program that successfully combines a strong treatment component with the legal weight of law enforcement.

Substance abuse treatment reduces both addiction and drug-related crime. In addition, Drug Court provides alternative services for about 25 percent of the cost of incarceration.