Recovery Court

Recovery Court (formerly known as Drug Court / HEALS Court), is a program for defendants whose drug addiction is a primary catalyst of their criminal behavior. Eligible defendants have many types of felony charges, ranging from drug possession charges to other non-violent felonies which are substance abuse related and/or drug involved.

Participants must actively engage in treatment, appear in court regularly, pass all drug tests, and are intensively supervised by probation and the Recovery Court teams.  The primary goal is to give the support and supervision necessary to participants so they can be successful in recovering from their drug addiction.

Recovery Court participants have a high rate of success of graduation, a low level of recidivism, and are often move into successful lives as contributing members of society.

Benefits to the public

The 4th Judicial District Recovery Court is modeled after evidence based problem solving drug courts, which have proven to be effective in handling criminal cases of substance abusers by heavily focusing on treatment, close probation supervision, and regular drug testing.  These courts have been found to restore lives and prevent future arrests.  One of the primary goals of the judiciary is always to protect the public by reducing recidivism (re-arrests).  The close monitoring by the courts and probation increases public safety.  By finding alternatives to jail/prison, we reduce the cost of jail and prison beds.  Our end goal is to reintegrate our fellow citizens back into society, making them independent citizens again.

Minimum qualifications of Recovery Court are:

• Defendant must recognize that he/she has a drug addiction.
• Defendant’s charges and criminal history must be related to drug addiction.
• Defendant must reside in 4th Judicial District.
• Defendant must be eligible for probation.

For more details,

Visit the Recovery Court Website: Recovery Court

Contact Robert Burrs, Recovery Court Coordinator II at 719.452.5209