Accountability Courts

The Mountain Judicial Circuit Accountability Courts are programs that combine the evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and the accountability of the court system to reform and rehabilitate eligible participants with substance use disorders. The Mountain Judicial Circuit currently offers four Accountability Court programs: Habersham County Adult Felony Drug Court, Stephens County Adult Felony Drug Court, Rabun County Adult Felony Drug Court, and Family Dependency Treatment Court.

The mission of the Mountain Judicial Circuit Accountability Courts is to enhance public safety through a coordinated effort of treatment and intense supervision within the judicial system by promoting abstinence, law-abiding behavior, compliance, and participation through prompt intervention. Our goal is to reduce the recidivism rate by offering the offender an alternative to incarceration and the tools to abstain from illegal activity through a combined effort of cost-effective measures that encourage the offender to become a productive and law-abiding citizen. Those who violate the program terms will be terminated from the program and may face probation revocation and prison sentences.

Drug Court

The Adult Felony Drug Court (“Drug Court”) is a post-plea model offered to eligible offenders charged with felony offenses related to drug use. Drug Court is also provided as an alternative to revocation for offenders on probation who may subsequently test positive for, or are battling, substance abuse. Entry into the program requires a voluntary commitment to a minimum of 18 months (maximum of 36 months) in an intensive outpatient program. Upon completing the program, graduates may receive restricted cases, dismissed cases, or modified sentences – depending on the plea made before entering the program.

After an arrest, defendants are identified and referred by the defense attorney. The District Attorney’s office screens each participant for public safety risk, as only non-violent, low-risk offenders are appropriate for these programs. Once eligible, a Team Member will assess the offender for substance use severity, risk of recidivism, and treatment needs to ensure that this program is the correct “dosage” of medicine for the offender. The entire Drug Court Team will then bring the offender before them, who will decide after reviewing the assessment results and talking with the offender about why they want to be in the program. The Drug Court Team consists of the Judge, Coordinator, Case Manager, District Attorney, Felony Probation, Law Enforcement, Defense Attorney, and Treatment Providers. Once the offender is accepted into the program, they must plead guilty to the charges and be sworn into the program through Superior Court.

Family Dependency Treatment Court

The Family Dependency Treatment Court (FDTC) is similar to the Drug Courts. However, it is an intensive outpatient program that runs through the Juvenile Court and does not require eligible participants to have felony charges. Instead, the FDTC is offered to parents struggling with substance abuse and either have a dependency case or pending criminal charges that could put/her in jeopardy of having parental rights terminated. Often, parents are referred through the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and have an open DFCS case; parents with private dependency cases without DFCS involvement may also be eligible.

Like Drug Court, the FDTC is an 18- to 36-month program in which entry is voluntary. Once a parent is referred to the program, they must be assessed for appropriateness and accepted by the FDTC Team. Participants are screened for eligibility and approved by the District Attorney’s office so that only those who are non-violent and have low public safety risks are approved. The main goals of the FDTC are to teach parents how to live sober, law-abiding lives and to reunify the family. The safety of the children and the community is of the utmost importance. The FDTC Team consists of the Juvenile Court Judge, Coordinator, Case Manager, Parent Attorney, Child Attorney, Felony Probation, Special Assistant Attorney General (an attorney who represents DFCS), DFCS, CASA, and the Treatment Providers.

Mental Health Court

The Mountain Judicial Circuit Mental Health Treatment Court is a specialized problem-solving court program that links offenders who would ordinarily be prison-bound to intensive long-term community-based treatment. Like other problem-solving courts, such as Drug Courts, Mental Health Courts seek to address the underlying mental health issues that have contributed to criminal behavior when untreated. Mental Health Courts strive to improve public safety and the well-being of felony offenders with a severe and persistent mental illnesses by linking them to court-supervised, community-based treatment. Defendants whose mental illness is related to their current criminal justice involvement are carefully screened for eligibility into the program to ensure they do not create an increased risk to public safety.

Because the Mental Health Court has specialized interventions that can only serve a portion of the defendants with mental illness, those with co-occurring disorders may first enter Drug Court and be monitored under the mental health track. For example, suppose the severity of the mental health issue is moderate to mild and can become stabilized within the structure of the Drug Court. In that case, the participant may continue in the mental health track of the Drug Court rather than being transferred to the Mental Health Court. On the other hand, suppose it is found that the severity of the persistent mental illness cannot be addressed by the interventions provided in the mental health track of the Drug Court. In that case, the team will discuss if transferring the participant to Mental Health Court is a more appropriate treatment response.

Costs

Each participant must pay $175 per month towards treatment, saving the community money and allowing participants to invest in their recovery. Incarcerating offenders without offering treatment would cost the community around $2 million per year – without ever changing the behavior of an offender who would then be released after their sentence back into the community. Accountability Courts do not cost the community anything, as all of the funds for programs are through federal grants, DATE funds, donations, and monthly participant fees. Incarcerating one offender for one year is a little under $15,000. The cost for giving one offender treatment for a year is about $2000. Not only does the program not cost the community any money, but it also saves the community money by a) employing over 50 members of the community as full-time or contracted workers, b) requiring every participant to work a tax-paying job or be in school full-time, c) reducing costs in criminal justice, public health, and victimization. In addition, employers in the community can ensure that participants who work for them will be highly supervised and drug-free. In all four programs, we currently have up to 135 active participants. All participants are required to do a Give Back Project that benefits the community long-term and pay any restitution owed to victims of crimes committed before entering the program.

Goals

The Mountain Judicial Accountability Courts have the following goals and objectives and provide the following services:

To improve the economy of the community by requiring each participant to work a tax-paying job in the community as well as by reducing avoidable expenses associated with incarceration, indigent medical costs, victimization, and other criminal justice costs
To reduce high levels of drug use and drug-related crime in the community
To promote safety for the children and members of the community
To provide early screening, assessment, and intervention for substance abuse
To provide effective and consistent court supervision, including monthly hearings that track progress and violations for each participant.
To promote abstinence from drugs by providing each participant with a minimum of 2 random drug screens per week.
To provide every participant with an individual treatment program tailored to their needs with a certified counselor.
Increase community education/literacy by requiring participants to complete a literacy course, GED, or high school diploma.
To assist participants in understanding and accessing community resources

Benefits for Participants

In most cases, those who participate in the Mountain Judicial Circuit Accountability Courts will have:

A renewed sense of self-esteem and self-worth
Safe and stable housing
Weekly case management and community advocacy
Long-term sobriety
Intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment
Individual counseling and treatment plans
Healthy and effective coping skills to deal with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, triggers, and cravings
Relapse Prevention Plans
A sponsor and sober support system
GED/High School Diploma or higher education
A legal form of stable income (tax-paying job)
Regained trust and respect of loved ones
Reduced or restricted legal sentences

Mission Statement

The mission of the Mountain Judicial Circuit Accountability Court is to enhance public safety through a coordinated effort of treatment and intense supervision within the judicial system and to promote abstinence, law-abiding behavior, compliance, and participation through prompt intervention. Our goal is to reduce the recidivism rate by offering the offender an alternative to incarceration and the tools to abstain from illegal activity through a combined effort of cost-effective measures that promote rehabilitation, encouraging the offender to become a productive and law-abiding citizen.