The 72nd District Court has a Recovery Court program for individuals who commit misdemeanor driving offenses, and who suffer from a severe alcohol abuse problem.
The Recovery Court program is run by Judge John Monaghan. The program provides a team approach – with a Recovery Court Coordinator, a Treatment Coordinator, District Court Probation, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and a defense attorney being involved.
Individuals must apply to be accepted into the Recovery Court program. The client is required to complete an initial screening for entry into the program.
The Recovery Court team then meets to decide on admissions into the program.
If you are charged with a felony, and there is no plea agreement to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, who will not be eligible for Recovery Court.
Once accepted, the client must plead guilty to enter the program. The client must sign an Agreement to Participate in the program which details the terms and conditions of participating in the program. These include: no use of alcohol or drugs, an agreement not to enter establishments in which the primary emphasis is to serve alcohol, an agreement not to use certain prescription medications, frequent drug and alcohol testing, and attending substance abuse treatment as recommended by your probation officer.
An individual must participate in the Recovery Court program for a minimum of 13 months. During this time, the team closely monitors the participant’s progress. The Court may impose sanctions for violating the terms of the program (i.e., increased testing, residential treatment, or jail time), or provide incentives as appropriate.
The Judge will require you to appear for review hearings during your time in the program. The frequency of the review hearings will be determined by the Judge. It should be noted that the there is a one-time entry fee to enter the program.
If you complete all three phases of the Recovery Court program, and have met certain minimum requirements regarding sobriety, you can apply to graduate from the program. You could also be placed on a regular term of probation for 90 days following graduation from Recovery Court.