FAQs • Athens-Clarke County, GA • CivicEngage

What if I am terminated from Felony Drug Court?: Your case will go before Judge Stephens and you will be sentenced on the original charges as if you never had participated in the Felony Drug Court Program.

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Superior Court - Felony Drug Court

1. Do I qualify for Felony Drug Court?: To determine your eligibility please contact the Felony Drug Court coordinator at 706-208-7078. All persons interested in the Felony Drug Court must have an attorney of record, must be legally qualified for the program (no sexual offenses or violent offenses), and must be clinically eligible for the program.

2. How do I know if I am legally qualified for Felony Drug Court?: Please contact your attorney of record or contact the Felony Drug Court coordinator 706-208-7078.

3. How do I get clinically evaluated for the Felony Drug Court?: Please contact the Felony Drug Court coordinator to set up a clinical assessment. The clinical assessment can be performed at the jail (if the individual is in custody) or will otherwise be performed at the Felony Drug Court Office in the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse, located at:
325 E. Washington St.
Suite 210
Athens, GA 30601
You may also contact them at 706-208-7078.

4. How much does the Felony Drug Court cost?: The Felony Drug Court Program is $150 per month. This pays for all group and individual counseling and drug testing. If you have financial concerns but are able to work, please mention this to the Felony Drug Court coordinator when you meet for the clinical assessment (payment plans and alternative arrangements may be available).

5. Can I take methadone or Adderall in the program if it is prescribed to me by my doctor?: Every medication (prescription and over-the-counter) must be reported to the Felony Drug Court Office at the time of the clinical assessment/prior to entering the Felony Drug Court Program. Not every medication prescribed, even if prescribed legally to you by your doctor, may be taken while in the Felony Drug Court Program. These medications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and you will be expected to sign a release to your prescribing doctor for open discussion of your substance use history. The Felony Drug Court Program is an abstinence-based program which means that medications with the potential to become addictive cannot be taken while in the program. Please review the Participant List of Prohibited Drugs in the Felony Drug Court Participant Handbook for more information or contact the Felony Drug Court Program directly.

6. I think my child / spouse needs Felony Drug Court. How do I get them in?: Anyone who is interested in the Felony Drug Court Program needs to contact their attorney of record and tell their attorney they are interested in being considered for the program.

7. How can I find out my probation requirements?: Please contact your probation office to determine your probation requirements. The State Probation Office (felony probation) is located at 171 Old Epps Bridge Road. You can also contact them by telephone at 706-369-6000. The County Probation Office (misdemeanor probation) is located at 1720 Lexington Road. You may also contact them at 706-613-3911.

8. How long is the Felony Drug Court Program?: There are two tracks of treatment in the Felony Drug Court Program. Which track the participant will follow is decided prior to the entry of their plea into the Felony Drug Court Program since the track is based on legal and clinical recommendations. Track 1 is 17 to 24 months long; Track 2 is a minimum of 12 months long. Regardless of the track, there are five phases that a participant must go through in order to complete the Felony Drug Court Program. Each phase is based on a minimum amount of time, but a phase may take more time if your counselor recommends you stay in a phase for longer or if you violate the rules of the program.

9. How many hours a week does Felony Drug Court take?: There are five phases in the Felony Drug Court Program, and everyone must go through all five phases in order to successfully complete the program. The program requirements are like a stair step where there are more requirements at the start of the program than at the end. Everyone must attend an individual counseling session (once a week when you first start Felony Drug Court, to once a month when you near the end of Felony Drug Court), group counseling (in the evenings after 5:00 p.m. and/or on Saturday mornings), and drug court (a separate court session with other drug court participants on the first and third Thursday of every month at 5:00 p.m.). Those in the lower phases must also attend check-in (a separate time to drug test, turn in meetings, ask questions, and check in with drug court) on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at 5:00 p.m. Everyone must also attend a 12-step meeting of their choice on the day and time of their choice. The average time commitment in Phase I is seven to nine hours while the average time commitment in Phase V is three to four hours.

10. What if I enter the Felony Drug Court Program but change my mind and don’t want to finish it?: Every person’s legal case is different, so you will need to talk with your attorney of record (the attorney that represented you when you took your plea into Felony Drug Court).

11. What if I am terminated from Felony Drug Court?: Your case will go before Judge Stephens and you will be sentenced on the original charges as if you never had participated in the Felony Drug Court Program.

12. I want to participate in Felony Drug Court, but I also am a student and do not live in Athens year-round. What should I do?: Felony Drug Court requirements exist year-round. While we try to keep our group meetings, appointments, and court in the evenings or on the weekends, there may be conflicts that arise. Drug court attendance is not excused, however. Work and classes are expected to be scheduled around drug court obligations.

If you want to travel or vacation while in felony drug court you must first be complying with all the rules, must complete a Participant Leave Request Form to submit to the Felony Drug Court coordinator at least two weeks in advance of travel, and must be approved to travel by the drug court team and judge.

13. Will I get a dismissal in my case when I graduate from Felony Drug Court?: Each person’s case is different. When you enter into the Felony Drug Court Program the disposition (outcome) in your case has already been decided and agreed upon. If you are terminated from the program, then your original case will go before Judge Stephens and you will be sentenced on the original charges as if you never had participated in the Felony Drug Court Program. If a dismissal was agreed upon in your case prior to entering Felony Drug Court, then that dismissal will be granted when you successfully complete and graduate from Felony Drug Court.
Please contact the attorney that represented you when entering into Felony Drug Court to learn what your drug court agreement was.

14. How do I learn more about the Felony Drug Court Program?: The Felony Drug Court Participant Handbook provides detailed information that every participant has available when they enter the program.